Watson beforehand served as the town’s forty eighth Mayor within the late ’90s and he says that have and legacy is likely one of the causes he determined to run once more.
AUSTIN, Texas — If Kirk Watson turns into Austin’s 53rd mayor, there will probably be a way of déjà vu within the metropolis.
Watson beforehand served as the town’s forty eighth mayor within the late ’90s and he says that have and legacy is likely one of the causes he determined to run once more all these years later.
“I believe the city right now is on the wrong track, whether it’s housing, or affordability, or traffic,” Watson stated on Inside Texas Politics. “Whether it’s crime or a variety of other things, we’re not addressing things the way we need to address them.”
There are many urgent points going through Austin’s subsequent mayor.
And for Watson, the town’s housing disaster is close to the highest.
Depending on who’s offering the estimate, the typical house worth in Austin ranges from $550,000 to $625,000.
And the charges the town fees to construct new properties are a lot greater than in different main cities. That value, to hook as much as the town’s water/sewer techniques as an example, is handed on to the oldsters dwelling there. And the expense additionally acts a deterrent to builders and would-be residents.
Watson says he needs the town to cut back a few of these charges by at the very least 50%. And he needs a whole sundown fee evaluate of the town’s Development Services Department, which ensures compliance with metropolis codes and oversees lots of the charges.
“If we want to have more housing on the ground, more affordable housing on the ground, why are we stepping over our own feet by adding to the expense of that?” he requested on Inside Texas Politics.
The subsequent mayor of Austin will even have to deal with a dramatically understaffed police division. This has led to longer response instances and even 911 operators hanging up on callers.
The City Council lower the Austin PD’s price range by a 3rd a few years in the past and Watson says that’s put the town in an untenable place.
“It was a mistake to put us in a situation where we’re now actually, with attrition, seeing a decline even as we have cadet classes,” he stated. “You can’t put a city in a position where the police force is so badly understaffed that people are hanging up on 911. We’re behind what we ought to be in terms of answering calls on patrol. And so, we’ve got to get fully staffed.”
Watson says he would give attention to three key areas to enhance the division: signing a contract with the police union, placing more cash into retaining present officers and growing the variety of cadet courses.
Watson beforehand served as mayor of Austin from 1997 till 2001. In 2002, he ran for Texas Attorney General, however misplaced to Greg Abbott.
He additionally spent 13 years within the Texas Senate from 2007 to 2020. He retired to grow to be the primary dean of the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs. Watson introduced his return to politics by getting into the Austin Mayor’s race in February of this 12 months.
Watson faces Celia Israel within the runoff election. Early voting runs by way of Friday, Dec. 9. Election Day is Tuesday, Dec. 13.
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