ATA issued a candidate questionnaire to all candidates running in the November 2022 general election. All questions were the same for Mayor, City Council, County Clerk and County Judge. Responses have not been edited. View all responses here.
Kirk Watson – Mayoral candidate
As we head into the 4th year of Covid-19, what learnings have you taken from the pandemic and how will you apply those to your policies and community outreach moving forward?
During the early stages of the pandemic and all of us being locked down, I was the Founding Dean of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. One thing that quickly became obvious was that many of our students didn’t have sufficient Internet access or an environment that was conducive to study, making it challenging for them to become effective remote learners. I think the pandemic revealed that we often take for granted that most people have access to what many would consider basic tools for success, such as high-speed Internet. This should inform our thinking moving forward about what is required to effectively engage diverse communities in policy discussions and decisions.
How will you work with City leadership to provide a housing plan for unhoused residents?
I support the creation of more permanent supportive housing (PSH) units with support services and the City’s ongoing efforts to get more unhoused people into PSH, which must be accelerated. However, we should also expand the City’s partnerships with community organizations like Caritas and Mobile Loaves & Fishes to deliver even more housing options. We need more rapid housing and I additionally believe the City should explore other options, including City-sanctioned encampments, to protect unhoused people that cannot or may choose not to move into PSH but who cannot camp in public spaces following voters’ reinstatement and legislative reinstatement of the public camping ban last May. We must enforce the camping ban. The bottom line is that we need to meet people experiencing homelessness exactly where they are and provide the support and services they need without regard to how or where they live. We need a continuum of service and not the limited options we have been offered. We also need to build on the mental health work that is currently ongoing in the region with a focus on our population that lives homeless.
How will you work with City leadership to support marginalized communities in Austin?
I believe in inclusive leadership that values Austin’s full diversity of perspectives, voices, and ideas. I also believe that City government should be proactively engaged with marginalized communities on an ongoing basis to ensure that local public services are effectively meeting needs. Especially as our state government continues to attack vulnerable communities and undermine basic human rights, Austin must redouble its efforts to protect every citizen, no matter where or how they live, who they love, or the color of their skin.
Homeowners and renters experienced enormous increases in Travis County Property Taxes in 2022. How will you address Austin’s ongoing housing shortage and displacement issues?
Austin’s housing affordability crisis should be the top priority of our next mayor, and I’ve offered a range of policy proposals that I believe can help increase housing supply and options, and decrease displacement. Some of these include:
- Launching a top-to-bottom review of the City’s development review process and regulations to help accelerate the creation of more affordable housing as quickly as possible. The process should reflect that used by the Texas Sunset Commission, the nationally-recognized body that regularly reviews nearly every agency in Texas government.
- Working to reform Austin’s land development code and zoning regulations to help increase Austin’s housing stock in areas where it is most appropriate, especially along transit corridors. Where appropriate we should adopt changes to compatibility and parking requirements to allow more housing, and explore using incentives to convert office buildings into residential buildings and add residential housing to existing parking lots.
- Building new working partnerships between the City and its public and private sector partners to create more affordable housing in more places without undermining the integrity of our neighborhoods. For example, we should create a program to encourage Austin employers to participate in the creation of workforce housing.
As our community continues to rely on virtual spaces, how should the City address the digital divide? What steps would you take to bridge that divide?
In a tech-driven city like Austin, there is simply no excuse for anyone anywhere in our community to lack sufficient internet access, especially when access has become even more central to finding good jobs and building successful careers. As mayor I’ll work to bring the public and private sector together to create and expand programs that bridge the digital divide, with the goal of making the term obsolete.
What are your thoughts on the City of Austin using cryptocurrency (AustinCoin)?
I’ve met with the mayor of Miami and spoken with other city-level officials and business people who are enthusiastic about crypto, and I appreciate that Austin is a growing hub of crypto and blockchain innovation. I’m open to the benefits that crypto could provide to the City of Austin, but if elected will be focused primarily on critical local issues like driving down the cost of housing.
How can the City better work with Austin’s tech community to bring innovative approaches to civic challenges?
I enthusiastically support increasing the local tech community’s engagement with City Hall and applying innovative, tech-driven approaches to civic problems where possible.If elected I will be looking to the Tech Alliance and others to create opportunities to build new working partnerships between City government and leaders in the tech community. I am optimistic about Austin’s future and believe that innovation, such as has driven the growth and success of our region’s tech industry, has a vital role to play in overcoming our challenges and realizing our opportunities.
For more information visit Kirk Watson – Candidate for City Council Mayor website.