City & town

Austin City Council Member

District 1

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 6
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: An Austin City Council member represents one of ten districts on the council, which passes city ordinances and adopts the city budget and tax rate.

Candidates Compare by issue

Steven Brown

No party listed

Neuro and spine clinical consultant

The gist

Pledges regular program audits and plain-language spending justifications.
Opposes tax increases without a clear, measurable reason.
Supports safer sidewalks, crosswalks and more frequent bus stops.
Supports placing transit stops near jobs and shopping.

More about Steven

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Pledges regular program audits and plain-language spending justifications.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I'll prioritize basic services, audit programs regularly for real results, and require plain-language justification before new spending.”
Opposes tax increases without a clear, measurable reason.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I'll hold the line on taxes unless there's a clear, measurable reason to raise them.”
Supports safer sidewalks, crosswalks and more frequent bus stops.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“District 1 needs better street upkeep: safer sidewalks, improved crosswalks, and more frequent bus stops.”
Supports placing transit stops near jobs and shopping.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I'll push for transit-oriented development, like placing transit stops near jobs and shopping clusters so residents can walk to daily needs.”

Alexandria Anderson

No party listed

Health and wellness entrepreneur

The gist

Proposes prioritizing deeply affordable housing and preserving existing homes.
Proposes stronger multi-year financial planning and contract scrutiny.
Supports sidewalks, safer bike infrastructure and Vision Zero strategies.

More about Alexandria

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Proposes prioritizing deeply affordable housing and preserving existing homes.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I want to prioritize deeply affordable housing, preserve existing affordable homes, support larger housing options for families”
Proposes stronger multi-year financial planning and contract scrutiny.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I would strengthen multi-year financial planning, scrutinize major expenditures, contracts, and incentives, and improve efficiency.”
Supports sidewalks, safer bike infrastructure and Vision Zero strategies.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I would prioritize sidewalks, safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, Small Area Mobility Plans, Vision Zero strategies, and stronger CapMetro connections.”

Amber K. Goodwin

No party listed

Attorney, organizer and nonprofit founder

The gist

Proposes treating housing stability as foundation for safer neighborhoods.
Proposes coordinating housing, health and public safety budgets.
Supports transit-oriented development with guaranteed affordability.

More about Amber

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Proposes treating housing stability as foundation for safer neighborhoods.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“taking a whole-of-government approach to ensure housing stability is the foundation for safer neighborhoods and greater economic opportunity”
Proposes coordinating housing, health and public safety budgets.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I would work to better coordinate housing, health, and public safety budgets prioritizing anti-displacement, eviction protection, and violence prevention”
Supports transit-oriented development with guaranteed affordability.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I will advocate equitable transit-oriented development that pairs density near transit with guaranteed affordability”

Michael Nahas

No party listed

Economist / researcher

The gist

Pledges to stop city borrowing from employee pension funds.
Proposes moving pension debt to lower-interest general obligation bonds.
Supports building new housing in or near downtown.
Supports wide sidewalks, protected bike lanes and faster buses.

More about Michael

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Pledges to stop city borrowing from employee pension funds.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“The City plans on borrowing more from the pensions. I'll stop that.”
Proposes moving pension debt to lower-interest general obligation bonds.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I'll move as much pension debt as we're allowed to a lower interest rate GO bond.”
Supports building new housing in or near downtown.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“New housing must be built in or near downtown, to keep people off the roads.”
Supports wide sidewalks, protected bike lanes and faster buses.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“That housing needs wide sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and fast reliable buses.”

Portia Riggins

No party listed

Accounting / student / community advocate

The gist

Pledges review of departmental spending and service outcomes.
Supports sidewalks, street safety and stronger transit connections.
Supports protecting existing residents from displacement by major projects.

More about Portia

View sources (1)

Pledges review of departmental spending and service outcomes.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I would review departmental spending, completion rates, and service outcomes to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly allocated”
Supports sidewalks, street safety and stronger transit connections.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I would prioritize sidewalks, street safety, accessible infrastructure, and stronger transit connections”
Supports protecting existing residents from displacement by major projects.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“Growth and major transportation projects should also protect existing residents from displacement.”

Misael Ramos

No party listed

Community organizer

The gist

Proposes reining in contracts and consultants instead of layoffs.
Supports more east-west bus connections.
Supports anti-displacement funding in Project Connect's next phase.

More about Misael

View sources (1)

Proposes reining in contracts and consultants instead of layoffs.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“Instead of cuts, consolidations, and layoffs, the city should focus on reigning in contracts and consultants”
Supports more east-west bus connections.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“More east-west bus connections are needed”
Supports anti-displacement funding in Project Connect's next phase.
Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · Community Impact · communityimpact.com
“I will fight to prioritize this funding in the next phase of Project Connect”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 3 issues covered in this race.