The Road to 10-1: D7 Ballot Boxing Forum Tonight

Eight candidates will come together tonight at 7pm at the Alamo Village (2700 W. Anderson) to discuss the issues facing District 7 in a forum forum sponsored by the Chronicle, Austin Monitor, KUT-FM, KXAN-TV, and Univision.

The district is divided by the constant traffic rumble on U.S. 183: The concerns of the generally more affluent "Lower Seven" have swallowed up far more political oxygen than those of the industrial "Upper Seven." It's not simply rich vs. poor. Conflicts have been about increasing – or fighting off – density in established neighborhoods.

Attorney Jeb Boyt wants to focus on consensus and positive solutions. Jimmy Paver, a former legislative staffer to former state rep. Mark Strama and Congressman Lloyd Doggett, is a little tougher on the battles some Lower Seventh residents fight against increased density. While he’s “not for rezoning an entire neighborhood,” he doesn’t believe a granny flat or duplex here or there will “destroy the character of your neighborhood.”

Travis County staffer Leslie Pool, who also boasts considerable experience on various boards and commission, argues development must “keep our neighborhoods intact.” She also would like to see an end to incentives for "companies that would move here anyway," mirroring the position of rival candidate, retiree Ed English. English still holds that even without incentives, the city should actively recruit businesses to move here as an economic driver, while Melissa Zone argues that cutting incentives can be a tool to proactively slow down growth.

For urban planner Zone, the problem is not density, but infrastructure. She voices frustration both at current council members who blithely encourage development, and city staff giving inadequate counsel. She said, "We're supposed to be a modern city, but we're planning in an antiquated fashion."

Charity veteran Pete Salazar is promoting a coherent transportation strategy that will be accessible to all areas of Austin. Zack Ingraham is anti-police militarization and has led a campaign to increase training for APD on dealing with aggressive dogs, in order to minimize the likelihood of a police officer shooting a dog.

Darryl Wittle isn’t as quick as some other 10-1 candidates to criticize the current Council. As co-operator of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Wittle could provide a voice for the still-burgeoning Domain.

All Ballot Boxing forums are free and open to the public.

For more on the candidates, including current endorsements, check out our candidate profiles here.

For a D7 campaign snapshot, read here; for more about D7, read here.

For dates and locations of our upcoming forums, check our Ballot Boxing schedule. For a comprehensive list of candidate forums citywide, click here.

Check back at our Elections homepage for coverage of the D7 forum, as well as a link to the complete video of the forum.