Local government is important. It’s the branch of government that affects your life the most, and yet, many of us can barely remember the name of our mayor or City Council member. That’s why we break it all down for you in a way that’s clear, easy-to-understand, and even a little fun. No PhD in poli sci needed!
New to The Austin Common? Here’s two ways we suggest learning more about local government:
#1 – Get yourself a copy of “A Beginner’s Guide To Local Government: Austin Edition.”
#2 – Start reading our Civics 101 news stories, conveniently laid out for you below.
The Uber/Lyft debate continued last week when Mayor Adler officially came out against Prop 1. In a written statement, Adler said that while he doesn’t think that either Prop 1 choice is best for Austin, he will be voting against Prop 1 because, “such a vote
As part of his continued focus on transportation, Mayor Adler recently finished an innovation exchange trip to Europe with the US Secretary of Transportation as part of the Smart City Challenge. (As a reminder, Austin is one of seven finalist for the challenge. If we win, Austin will
Austin Mayor Steve Adler kept his focus on transportation last week as he traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark on an innovation exchange trip with the US Secretary of Transportation as part of the Smart City Challenge. (As a reminder, Austin is one of seven finalist for the challenge.
In other transportation news, Mayor Steve Adler has been busy lately, advocating for Austin in the US Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge. Austin is currently one of seven finalists. The winner will receive $50 million to leverage technology in building out a better transportation
Hate Austin traffic? Now’s your chance to do something about it. Mayor Steve Adler has named 2016 the Year of Mobility, and City Council is serious about doing something to fix Austin’s transportation woes. But first, they want your input. Last week, the City of
“The most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen.” That’s what President Obama said to a packed house at the Long Center earlier this month as he delivered the keynote address at SXSW. Throughout his speech, Obama focused on this issue of community
On February 24th, nearly 100 Austinites joined Rainforest Partnership Executive Director Niyanta Spelman, Texas Interfaith Associate Director Yaira Robinson, and Huston-Tillotson student Brittany Foley, as well as Austin Mayor Steve Adler, to discuss what the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement means for Austin at a local
Last night, Austin came together to discuss a very important topic – climate change. At “The Paris Climate Agreement, An Austin Perspective” event, cohosted by the Austin EcoNetwork and the Rainforest Partnership, nearly 100 people came together to learn more about Austin’s role in the global
In case you missed it, the Uber/Lyft issue is officially headed to an election on May 7th. Despite some last minute maneuvering by Mayor Steve Adler to pass a compromise agreement that would make fingerprint-based background checks voluntary and avoid an election, in the end, this
“…Austin has become a city where good ideas become real,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler to a packed crowd at the ZACH Theatre. Earlier this week he was at the theater to deliver his annual State of the City Address. Kind of like the president’s State
Earlier this month, Austin City Council continued to contemplate the possibility of putting a transportation bond on the ballot in 2016. The idea of paying for upgrades and/or expansions toI-35 have already been tossed around, as well as possible pedestrian and bike infrastructure upgrades. At a
Here’s an update on the ongoing Uber/Lyft debate in Austin – Last week, City Council passed an ordinance essentially in support of the Mayor’s new Thumbs Up plan. Developed with help from a team of techies across Austin, Thumbs Up was designed to be a