Hosted and produced by Brad Swail, The Austin City Councilman Podcast brings you news commentary every weekday surrounding the ramifications of decisions made by the Austin City Council, as well as general news and culture of Austin, Texas, and the US. PLUS weekly interviews with prominent thinkers in Austin and beyond!
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Betsy Dupuis is a product designer, developer, artist, musician, 2x AI whistleblower. She is also the woman behind the lawsuit to remove Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza. https://x.com/BetsyDupuis _______________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com _______________________ The purpose of the Austin City Councilman podcast is to provide a platform for people to speak and opine on important issues that matter to Austin. The views, opinions, or claims of the guest(s) on the Austin City Councilman podcast do not necessarily represent those of the host, and may not have been independently verified.
Doug Greco is a candidate for Mayor of Austin. Learn more about him and follow him on social meida: https://x.com/DougGrec https://www.facebook.com/grecoforaustin https://www.grecoforaustin.com/ _______________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com
Matt and Cleo are the cofounders of Save Austin Now, a truly non partisan citizen's group dedicated to Austin's quality of life. We talk about the latest with their lawsuit to force the City of Austin to enforce Prob B (camping ban), public safety and police, the DA, and more. https://www.saveaustinnow.com/ https://twitter.com/Cleo_Petricek https://twitter.com/MattMackowiak _________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com
You can watch this episode on my X or Vimeo! Fred Lewis is an attorney who has spent countless hours trying to keep the City of Austin honest. He joins us again to us the latest updates to the South Central Waterfront District TIRZ and Central Health. @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com
Danielle Fountain is the co-founder of The One Realty in Austin, TX. She joins to discuss some of the latest trends in real estate in Austin, investor/institutional buyers, the HOME initiative, and more! Danielle on X: https://twitter.com/The_One_Realty The One Realty Website: https://theonerealty.com/ _______________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or on X In the last of three episodes highlighting how DA Jose Garza treats victims and their families, Conny Branham, mother of Chris Branham, shares her story and experience dealing with DA Garza. You have a choice. Primary election is Tuesday, March 5th, 2024. The Chris Branham Foundation Website ____________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or on X In the second of three episodes highlighting how DA Jose Garza treats victims and their families, Kristina Byington, cousin to murder victim Anita Byington, shares her story and experience dealing with DA Garza. You have a choice. Primary election is Tuesday, March 5th, 2024. Medium article detailing Krsitina's story ___________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or on X In the first of three episodes highlighting how DA Jose Garza treats victims and their families, JR Lopez, father of murder victim Miranda Lopez, shares his story and experience dealing with DA Garza. You have a choice. Primary election is Tuesday, March 5th, 2024. __________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Jeremy Sylestine is a democrat candidate for Travis County District Attorney. He is currently in the primary against incumbent Jose Garza. Jeremy on X: https://twitter.com/Jeremy4DA Jeremy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeremy4DA Jeremy's Website: https://jeremysylestine.com/ ___________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can also watch this conversation on Vimeo or X! Daniel Betts is a republican candidate for DA in Travis County. We discuss what is going wrong now under the current DA and what his goals are. Website: https://bettsforda.com/ X: https://twitter.com/bettsforda ___________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or X! Carmen Llanes Pulido is a candidate for Mayor of Austin. She is a community organizer, former city commissioner, and the Executive Director of GAVA (Go Austin/Vamos Austin). Carmen's Website: https://www.carmen4mayor.com/ Carmen's X: https://twitter.com/Carmen4Mayor Carmen's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmenformayor Carmen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmen4mayor/ __________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on X or Vimeo! Pierre Nguyen is a firefighter/EMT, coast guardsman, nonprofit professional, and candidate for Austin City Council District 7. Pierre on X: https://twitter.com/nguyenforatx Pierre on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nguyenforcitycouncil/ Website: https://nguyenforcitycouncil.com/ __________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or X! Michael Bullock is the president of the Austin Police Association. He joins to discuss the latest with APD including morale, the staffing crisis, relationship with the Mayor, contract negotiations, Art Acevedo, and much more! Michael on X APA on X APA Website APA Podcast _______________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Taylor Blount is a citizen journalist currently working with DASH (Jamie Hammonds). Taylor on X ____________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or X! "Streets R Watching" is a long time Uber driver here in Austin and joins to disucss why he and others are organizing an Uber protest on Feb. 5th here in Austin, which will be joined by drivers from across the state. Streets chose to remain anonymous to prevent Uber from identifying who he is and punishing him for speaking out against company policies. Streets on X ShameOnUberTX on X _____________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Watch this conversation on Vimeo or X! Alex Horowitz is the Director of Housing Policy at Pew Chartable Trusts. He breaks down research (lots of data!) on how density may help with housing costs. www.pewtrusts.org https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2023/09/lot-size-reform-unlocks-affordable-homeownership-in-houston https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/04/17/more-flexible-zoning-helps-contain-rising-rents https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/08/22/how-housing-costs-drive-levels-of-homelessness https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/12/07/restrictive-zoning-is-raising-housing-costs-and-homelessness-in-arizona ________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Watch on Vimeo and X! Rich Heyman is an Urban Studies professor at UT Austin. He joins me to discuss why cities succeed/fail, Austin's responsibility toward the homeless, why the HOME Initiative won't achieve what they say it will, and more! Rich's bio: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/ams/faculty/rh22997 ________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Timothy Bolding and Amanda Mansouri of Sunrise Watch discuss the impact that the homeless resource center located at the Sunrise Church in Sout Austin has had on the local community, including the adjacent Joslin Elementary school. https://twitter.com/SunriseWatchAtx _______________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Arif Panju is the managing attorney for the Institute for Justice Texas Office, as well as a board member of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Arif argues the virtues of the HOME initiative from the point of view of property rights, freedom, and anti scare tactics. Institute of Justice Website Arif on X Institute of Justice on X Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas __________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Full video of this conversation is on Vimeo and X! Kevin Dolan is one of the organizers of the upcoming Natalism conference here in Austin at the Line Hotel on Dec. 1st-2nd. He is also the founder of Exitgroup.us. Confernce website: https://www.natalism.org/ Natalism.org on X: https://twitter.com/natalismorg Kevin on X: https://twitter.com/extradeadjcb ___________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(you can watch this conversation on Twitter or Vimeo!) Anne-Charlotte and Marc have worked with other community members to develop a moderate alternative to the HOME initiative. Anne-Charlotte on X __________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on X or Vimeo! Bill Aleshire is a practicing attorney who is dedicated to keeping city hall honest and transparent. Austin Bulldog Article Bill's X ____________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Michael Searle is the CEO of Searle Strategies. We discuss the GOP debate and where they go wrong, locally who can compete with Watson, which districts are up for grabs, the DA election, and winning/failing strategies. https://twitter.com/MSearleATX ___________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or Twitter!) Judge Glock is the director of research and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, as well as the author of Dead Pledge: The Origins of the Mortgage Market and Federal Bailouts, 1913-1939. Manhattan Institute Judge's Twitter Judge's Book __________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or Twitter!) Nick Kantor is the brother of Doug Kantor, the man murdered by De'Ondre White in the 6th street mass shooting of June, 2021. This was recorded shortly before the sentencing part of the trial, and the morning after the guilty verdict. https://twitter.com/kantor_nick3221 ________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or Twitter!) Mackenzie Kelly is the councilwoman representing district 6 here in Austin. We discuss the allegations and controversy surrounding the Northbridge Shelter, Homeless Strategy Officer Diana Grey's resignation, auditing the homeless spending, the budget, and more! https://twitter.com/mkelly007 https://twitter.com/MK6ATX https://www.austintexas.gov/email/district6 __________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this converation on Vimeo and Twitter!) Michele Steeb is the author of “Answers Behind The RED DOOR: Battling the Homeless Epidemic," a story of her 13 years of experience of serving homeless women and children who actively addressed the root causes of their homelessness. She is a former Vice President of the California Chamber of Commerce, a former board member of the California Prison Industry Authority (appointed by Governor Brown), a former Senior Fellow of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and is a Visiting Fellow of the Independent Women's Forum. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work in helping the homeless realize their full potential. Her written work has been published in the Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek, New York Post, Fox News and other notable publications. https://twitter.com/SteebMichele _______________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or on Twitter! Nicole Nosek is the chair for Texans for Reasonable Solutions. We discuss their efforts to push for housing reform across Texas. https://www.texansforreasonablesolutions.org/ https://twitter.com/TXReasSolutions https://www.facebook.com/TexansforReasonableSolutions ____________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo and Twitter! Randy Denzer of the Austin Firefighters Association discusses Austin's extreme wildfire risk https://www.austintexas.gov/department/wildfire ____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this conversation on Vimeo or Twitter! Greg Anderson is a longtime Austinite who is passionate about housing. He's also an Urban Studies professor at UT, as well as the director of community affairs at Habitat for Humanity. https://twitter.com/WalkableAustin _____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Fred Lewis returns with Barbara McArthur, to discuss the Poole Housing Proposal - what it means, will it work, is it legal, and more! Barbara's Plug: https://theaustinindependent.org/ __________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
João Paulo Mello Connolly is the Organizing Director of the Austin Justice Coalition. We discuss housing, Leslie Pool's latest resolution, and more. Find him on Twitter, or X, or whatever it's called Austin Justice Coalition website ____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(you can watch this conversation on Vimeo or Twitter!) A quick hit with Ryan Alter about this KXAN story: Austin pipes leaked enough drinking water in 2022 to fill Lady Bird Lake nearly 3 times https://twitter.com/RyanAlter https://www.instagram.com/cmryanalter/ __________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(Watch this conversation on Vimeo or on Twitter!) Joseph Smith is a former teacher at Bowie High School in AISD. He shares his experiences educating in the system with CRT, Gender Theory, and much more. Joseph's references from the show: Is American Education Broken? with Deb Filman The Reason We Learn Presents live with Josh Daws Why Gender Matters, by Leonard Sax _____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Watch this episode on Vimeo! Chas Moore is the founder and Co Executive Director of the Austin Just Coalition. We talk about many things from housing, their JU$TICE NOW Campaign, systemic racism, and more. Visit the Austin Justice Coalition website: https://austinjustice.org/ You can find Chas on Twitter and Instagram _____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Jack Craver is back and we cover a lot. Zilker, Project Connect status, Interim CM Garza, and more. austinpolitics.net @jackcraver _____________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
You can watch this episode on Vimeo Tanya Payne does communications for Rewild Zilker, an organization that is fighting against and educating about the Zilker Vision Plan, as well as advocating for their own vision of improvements for Zilker Park. Please visit their social medias and website, and if you care about Zilker, please get involved! rewildzilker.org Instagram Facebook _________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Watch this conversation on Vimeo! Peter Morales is a developer in Austin, and he joins to discuss how he and other developers may respond to the city's new code restrictions, his recent run ins with the homeless, and more! You can follow Peter on Twitter here ____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(Watch this conversation on Vimeo!) Brandon Sparks is a entrepreneur, artist, and citizen concerned with the Zilker Vision Plan and how the city is treating the public on the issue. You can find and contact Brandon on his Instagram ______________________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Alex Strenger is the host of the Convos on the Pedicab podcast, a culture jammer, and commentator of news, politics, and culture in Austin. We discuss the RESTRICT Act, AI, his experiences at the TxLege, and much more. Find all his links here _______________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this conversatin on Vimeo!) James Quintero is a policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and joins us to discuss some of the bills that directly affect Austin, most notably the legislation that allows for some neighborhoods to disannex. Texas Public Policy Foundation James on Twitter ___________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this conversation on Vimeo!) John Riedie is a tourism commissioner for district 7 here in Austin. He joins us to discuss the racket that is the convention center business, specifically in Austin, and the very bad idea that is the proposed expansion. https://www.facebook.com/jpriedie _____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(Watch this conversation on Vimeo!) Aaron Sorrells is a former candidate for Lt. Governor of Texas and a member of the movement, We Will Not Be Silenced. He joins us to discuss the terrible story of a girl at Plainview South Elementary. We Will No Be Silenced website Aaron on Twitter ___________________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Curtis Rogers is a member of the Urban Transportation Commission and proponent of the city's vote this week to eliminate the parking mandate for off street parking in new builds outside of Austin. https://twitter.com/CurtRog ___________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Rick Cofer is a criminal defense attorney in Austin and a former Travis County prosecutor. He joins us to discuss the DPS partnership in Austin, progressive crime and prosecution reform, and much more. Please visit his website and social media at: @rickcofer coferconnelly.com ____________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this conversation for FREE on Patreon or Vimeo!) Brian Gettinger is the VP of Tunneling at Southland Holdings. He shares his vision for a better Project Connect through tunnels, electric bus mass transit, and autonomous vehicles. You can learn more about his vision here Brian on LinkedIn Brian on Twitter __________________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(You can watch this conversation for FREE on Patreon Video) Clinton Rarey is a former Austin City Council candidate and joins to discuss the ActBlue/WinRed donation irregularities that he discovered, as well as some or the PIR information that he has gathered on the City of Austin. @clintonrarey on twitter _____________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(Watch this conversation on Vimeo!) Fred Lewis is a local attorney and activist for, among other things, government accountability. He has been integral in the effort to pass the performance audit of Central Health (passed last week), and is working on keeping Austin honest when it comes to giving notice of property zoning changes. We discuss the Central Health update, and two large bills at the TxLege that would have profound effects on zoning across Austin and all big cities in Texas. communitynotcommodity.com ____________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Watch this conversation on Vimeo! Mandy Drogin is a mom of three and the Campaign Director of Next Generation Texas at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Mandy is working on school choice for K-12, as well as improving the Higher Education and workforce development in Texas. Visit www.txparentsmatter.com Parent Empowerment Day: https://tinyurl.com/j3kny9v3 twitter.com/TPPF ________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
Lonny Stern is on the Community Engagement team with the Austin Transit Partnership, the limited government corporation that is managing the creation of Project Connect. We talk about what we voted on vs where we are and why, what this first phase is, and much more. Have your thoughts heard through May 2nd or sign up for their upcoming events at projectconnect.com/get-involved 1) do a virtual tour and ask questions on Thursday April 6th from 5-7pm 2) if in person is your jam, on Tuesday April 11th from 1-4pm at the School for the Deaf __________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!
(Watch this conversation on Vimeo!) Nick Kantor is the brother of Doug Kantor, who was shot dead on 6th Street back in June of 2021. Nick discusses the incident, the upcoming trial, working with Jose Garza, and more. https://www.justicefordoug.com/ email: nkhvac10@aol.com _______________________________ @bradswail austincitycouncilman.com Support the show on Patreon!