Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
Mirror, Mirror
RECEIVED Tue., Sept. 15, 2020
Dear Editor,
Real estate developer David Whitworth’s diatribe (“Time To Look In The Mirror On Housing” [Opinion, Sept. 11]) was gratuitously nasty and deeply dishonest.
Whitworth asserted that at the GOP convention two right wing loons, Mark and Patricia McCloskey (who waved guns at BLM protesters) “gave the same 'save our neighborhoods' speech worthy of … Austin City Council [members] Alison Alter, Leslie Pool and Kathie Tovo.” That’s simply false. Actually the McCloskeys ranted for three minutes about defunding the police, “Marxist mobs,” “releasing criminals,” etc, then briefly accused the Democratic Party of wanting to “abolish our suburbs…bringing in crime, lawlessness and low quality apartments…”
By voting for police reform, gun control, paid sick leave, renters relief, etc, the three Council members are firmly in the Democratic “mob” Trump vilifies. None of them has ever said anything remotely like the “abolish the suburbs” line. All voted for $250 million in affordable housing bonds. All voted for the vast majority of zoning cases brought to the City Council. Pool, for example, has approved 10 projects involving affordable housing in her own District, opposing none.
Sinking lower, Whitworth said the council members have “the same position” as Donald Trump when Trump repealed Obama’s Affirmative Fair Housing initiative. This is utterly false. None of them opposed the Obama move. Pool even introduced a Council Resolution proposing a state law that would allow local governments to require new developments to provide affordable housing.
As always, money talks. Developer Whitworth favors removing parking space requirements for new apartment projects and opposes allowing citizens their current right to oppose zoning changes at City Council. By an amazing coincidence, every change in zoning law he has proposed would also increase his profit. If Whitworth really worries about hypocrisy, he should gaze in his mirror more intently next time he shaves.
Real estate developer David Whitworth’s diatribe (“Time To Look In The Mirror On Housing” [Opinion, Sept. 11]) was gratuitously nasty and deeply dishonest.
Whitworth asserted that at the GOP convention two right wing loons, Mark and Patricia McCloskey (who waved guns at BLM protesters) “gave the same 'save our neighborhoods' speech worthy of … Austin City Council [members] Alison Alter, Leslie Pool and Kathie Tovo.” That’s simply false. Actually the McCloskeys ranted for three minutes about defunding the police, “Marxist mobs,” “releasing criminals,” etc, then briefly accused the Democratic Party of wanting to “abolish our suburbs…bringing in crime, lawlessness and low quality apartments…”
By voting for police reform, gun control, paid sick leave, renters relief, etc, the three Council members are firmly in the Democratic “mob” Trump vilifies. None of them has ever said anything remotely like the “abolish the suburbs” line. All voted for $250 million in affordable housing bonds. All voted for the vast majority of zoning cases brought to the City Council. Pool, for example, has approved 10 projects involving affordable housing in her own District, opposing none.
Sinking lower, Whitworth said the council members have “the same position” as Donald Trump when Trump repealed Obama’s Affirmative Fair Housing initiative. This is utterly false. None of them opposed the Obama move. Pool even introduced a Council Resolution proposing a state law that would allow local governments to require new developments to provide affordable housing.
As always, money talks. Developer Whitworth favors removing parking space requirements for new apartment projects and opposes allowing citizens their current right to oppose zoning changes at City Council. By an amazing coincidence, every change in zoning law he has proposed would also increase his profit. If Whitworth really worries about hypocrisy, he should gaze in his mirror more intently next time he shaves.
Dean Rindy