04 Sep The Austin Environmental Democrats Endorse Greg Casar for City Council District 4

The Austin Environmental Democrats endorsement meetings continued this week with District 4. Candidates Gregorio Casar, Katrina Daniel, and Marco Mancillas all had the opportunity to pitch themselves to the group and then to answer any questions that the environmental democrats threw at them. What follows is a recording of that endorsement meeting, and just a quick warning, as this meeting was held at El Mercado, there are a lot of food munching and ice clinking noises in the background. The food was delicious, but the room was certainly noisy. 

And if you don't have time to listen to the whole thing, we've pulled out some of the highlights for you here:

Gregorio Casar 

• Casar kicked things off by sharing the results of his door-to-door campaigning with the audience.  He said that in talking to people, he has realized that environmental issues really are at the top of their agenda. For example, water rates, he said, are a big issue for the working class families of District 4. This a problem that can be solved through conservation and a retooling of the water utility, Casar pointed out, which are both issues that environmentalists care deeply about. 
• Electricity bills are also a burden on working class families, Casar said, explaining that things like weatherization and distributed solar  are good ways to keep prices low and to grow the amount of good green jobs in Austin. These kinds of things, he said, can help broaden the environmental conversation and movement. 
• Casar then laid out some of his experience in helping to broaden the environmental movement,  saying that he had worked hand-in-hand with the Urban League, Laborers Union and Austin Energy Green Building to make sure that AEGB rated buildings give extra points to companies that invest in their workers, hire local workers, and train them in green building.
• The new 10-1 system has the opportunity to broaden the environmental community, Casar said. 
• If elected, Casar said that he would like to serve on the committee for Austin Energy. “I think that with recent attempts to change the governance there, i think it’s critical for the council to be taking a very active role in the governance of the utility,” he said.
• Casar also said that as a council member he would want to form a committee on Austin’s water utility so that the recommendations from the Austin Water Resource Planning Task Force can be carefully reviewed. 
• Casar said that he is opposed to the construction on SH 45SW. 
• He also said that he will be voting against the rail bond proposal in November because of a lack of a comprehensive affordability plan. 

Katrina Daniel 

• “I’m running because I care deeply for my community,” Daniel said.  
• She explained that she cares about good government and good governance and wants to see it work well and for the people.
• Daniel said that she lives in the Highland neighborhood and was president of the Highland Neighborhood Association for several years. 
• She also said that she was the ACC appointee to the Highland Campus Advisory Committee and the city appointee to the Airport Boulevard Redesign Committee. 
• Daniel is a registered nurse.
• She said that she moved to Austin in 1996 to work at the capital and then shifted her career toward healthcare policy. Currently she works at the Texas Department of Insurance as the associate commissioner over the area that regulates health insurance and life insurance.
• Because of her career and civic volunteer work, Daniel said that she has a thorough understanding of government and how it works.
• She identified affordability, transportation, and public safety as issues that need to be addressed in her district.
• If elected, Daniel said that she would serve on the Heath and Human Services Committee.
• Daniel said that she has been a big supporter of mass transit, but explained that the current proposal is highly controversial. Even the highland community (where the rail line will come through) is divided, she said.

Marco Mancillas

• Mancillas shared some of his personal history with the group, explaining that he is from Brownsville and was adopted as a child. His dad, Mancillas said, taught him to always give back to the community and to strive to do better for the greater good. This is advice that has stuck with him.
• Mancillas went to St. Edwards University and worked at the state capital for 6 years. He was the former executive director of the Hispanic Physicians Association, and as the ED ,went to over 100 homes and talked to people about the Affordable Care Act, signing them up for insurance. “I got to see these families hardships,” Mancillas said.
• He identified a lack of sidewalks and affordability as major issues in his district.
• If elected, Mancillas said that he would like to serve on the planning and public safety committees.
• Mancillas said that he is against the rail proposal. Last year Austin passed two bonds, he said, and the rail proposal would be another one. This is increasing taxes too much, he said, and hurting the people in his district.