Travis Duncan Enters Mayor Race

There’s a new entry in Austin’s mayoral race, joining incumbent Steve Adler and challenger Laura Morrison for the November contest. Travis Duncan, a former solar power salesman, filed on March 2, saying he wants to “free people from the money system that is enslaving us.”

In a brief phone conversation this week, Duncan said that he left his job at Tesla – selling solar power systems – because “when the government is not representing the people it’s our responsibility to do something about it.” He said he filed on March 2, Texas Independence Day – “the birthday of Texas, when we declared independence from Mexico” – as a symbol of returning power to “all the people.” (He then acknowledged a primary independence issue was the Texian determination to persist in slaveholding, which darkens the symbolism quite a bit.)

The 28-year-old Duncan, who says he can trace his family line to an uncle of Stephen F. Austin, said that he is running to change things at City Hall, which heretofore has been “operating under the old paradigm of the violent system.” His primary issue is environmental – i.e., climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuel energy – and said he will speak “the truth not being discussed and not being listened to at City Hall,” specifically the need to move to 100% renewable energy “as soon as possible.”

Basically, although he says he holds “nothing personal against the City Council,” Duncan believes that the city’s current Austin Energy plan to steadily move to renewables is “going too slow.” He said the city should move immediately to end fossil fuel use, and to “cease permitting any fossil fuel infrastructure.” If that would mean first changing state law to impose such a policy, that’s what Duncan advocates. He said he believes the fossil fuel industry is “unconstitutional.”

Duncan says he has “leadership experience that qualifies me … to be a glue on the Council and unify people on the entire Council,” and that he is “determined to honor and defend all life.”

“I’m in this to win,” he concluded, “and the real work starts when we get elected.” You can read much more about Duncan’s campaign and candidacy on his website: www.wearethemayor.com.

In other campaign news, former Council Member Morrison announced her campaign kickoff event, to be held March 26, 5-7:30pm, at Threadgill’s on Riverside. For more on the upcoming City Council campaigns and City Hall, follow the Daily News and the Chronicle's weekly print edition.