Two days ago, there were five Austin ISD Board of Trustee seats on the November 4 ballot, but only two filed candidates. What a difference one busy Monday can make, with candidates filed and announced in four of the five seats.
At-Large Place 9
Incumbent: Tamala Barksdale. Stepping down after a single term.
Filed Challenger: District Advisory Council and Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Education and Talent Development Council member Kendall Pace.
Announced Candidate: Kazique Jelani Prince, CEO of Jelani Consulting, who has already picked up Barksdale’s endorsement.
District 1
Incumbent: Cheryl Bradley. Stepping down after three terms.
Challengers: None so far. Prince was going to run for this seat if Barksdale sought re-election, but for now there is no named candidate. However, there is at least one possible candidate in the background, who is expected to announce this week.
District 4
Incumbent: Vince Torres. Stepping down after two terms.
Filed Challengers: Austin Council of PTAs officer Julie Cowan, who lost to Barksdale in the At-Large race in 2010; Citizens Bond Oversight Committee member Karen Flanagan, who publicly opposed the district’s 2013 bonds as part of the Travis County Taxpayer’s Union.
District 6
Incumbent: Lori Moya. Stepping down after two terms.
Filed Challengers: Former Austin Council of PTAs president Monica Sanchez.
Announced Candidate: PR consultant Paul Saldana has declared an interest, and will make a formal announcement this week.
District 7
Incumbent: Robert Schneider. Sole incumbent up for re-election who has filed, seeking a fourth term.
Filed Challengers: Former Gorzycki Middle School PTA president Theresa Bastian.
Announced Candidate: AISD Boundary Advisory Committee member Yasmin Wagner has declared a treasurer.
Interested in running in District 1, or adding extra spice to any of the other races? Visit www.austinisd.org/board/election for eligibility and filing info.
This article appears in August 8 • 2014.
