Dear Editor,
"Republicans aren't the sort of minority in Austin that the 10-1 district system was intended to accommodate …." So says Nick Barbaro [“
Public Notice: From the West: the GOP,” News, Dec. 19], who is having a hard time swallowing the diminishing influence of his newspaper (I say this as a longtime fan who is often frustrated by the one-sided coverage). But my fellow soccer lover is wrong, as even his own News Editor Michael King could tell him, between gritted teeth no doubt, and as Barbaro surely knows in his heart of hearts.
It's clear that the main driver behind the 10-1 campaign was the feeling by large parts of the city that they had been disenfranchised in favor of an inner-city core of progressive urbanists who would always turn their back on, yes, certain minority interests, but also highway projects like SH 45 SW and the mess at the Y at Oak Hill in favor of the latest light rail proposal or the new urbanist flavor of the month. I make no judgments here, you understand, as to right or wrong. For myself, I voted for light rail, for Sheryl Cole for mayor, and for Ed Scruggs in my district, so you see what a Tea Party water carrier I am.
So yes, the long-term political nest of Austin has been disturbed. Being a progressive Democrat is not the only way you can serve this city anymore. Why should that be threatening? It will be interesting to see if Barbaro, who winks at the absurd notion that a world where only West Austin and inner core Democrats had a voice was somehow nonpartisan, can bring a balanced sense of coverage to a City Council of more competing visions. I hope so – but I ain't putting any money on it.