What We Stand For

  • A mobile future in which a fair, efficient and affordable mix of sidewalks, bike lanes, buses, rail and roads are available to all as we move from home to work.  I have been a strong and effective advocate for equitable distribution of funds as well as local funding options.  I remain a critic of toll road financing as inefficient and inequitable as practiced in Texas.  I have been a consistent voice in favor of rail, bike and pedestrian projects at CAMPO.  Additionally I fully support the transit and transit-related pursuits of CapMetro, Lone Star Rail, and the Cities of Austin, Pflugerville, Manor, Elgin, Round Rock and Georgetown.
  • A green future in which the natural beauty and character of our environment is preserved and supported by our residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural land use planning.  I have been a consistent critic of residential and industrial development that is willfully dismissive of their context and the burdens they place on current and future residents.  I vigorously opposed expansion of BFI and WMI landfills on State Highway 290E.  I continue to search for leverage to mitigate the damage aggregate mining will inflict upon eastern Travis County along the Colorado River.  And, I continue to lobby the Texas Legislature for county land-use authority to preserve the air, water and natural beauty of unincorporated Travis County from the advance of rapid and largely unregulated development.
  • A healthy future in which all residents have access to affordable physical and mental health care.  22% of Travis County residents are without health insurance.  23% of the population in the Austin metro area are obese.  Travis County has the highest suicide rate of any major county in the state.  Through partnership with Integral Care (MHMR), Central Health (TCHD), our fine hospital systems and the whole provider network, we must improve the health outcomes for our residents.
  • A safe and fair future in which law enforcement works cooperatively with the communities it serves and courts are open, efficient and fair.  We have the best courts and law enforcement in the State.  But, we are still over-incarcerating our citizens — more than 1 in 100 Travis County residents are in jail.  Minorities, poor folks and mentally ill folks are significantly over represented within our jail population. On average less than half of the Travis County jail population is there for having perpetrated a violent crime.  I have supported the creation of Project Options to address repeat public intoxicants, DWI Court to address multiple DWI offenders, Misdemeanor and Felony Mental Health Dockets, the Mental Health Public Defenders Office, Military Veterans Court and the Public Defenders Offices of Parent and Child Representation, as well as probation services designed to most accurately assess future dangerousness and most effectively reduce the likelihood of future criminological behavior.
  • A socially just future in which coordinated regional governance in the public interest produces the highest efficiency, economic vitality and quality of life for all its citizens.   While county governance has limited direct authority or discretion over education, job creation, housing and so many other elements crucial to residents’ quality of life, Travis County aims to be the scaffolding through which the many governmental and non-governmental forces in our civic fabric can collaborate to create the greatest prosperity for the greatest numbers at the lowest cost, for this generation and generations to come.