Among the City Council incumbents on the ballot for reelection in November, Vanessa Fuentes probably breathed the biggest sigh of relief at 5pm on Aug. 19.
That was the deadline for candidates to file for a spot on the ballot in a Council race, and Fuentes had only drawn one opponent: Robert Reynolds, a man who ran twice for a Texas House of Representatives seat in a district that overlaps with Fuentes’ District 2 Council seat and lost badly both times. Reynolds is not the kind of candidate voters in the Southeast D2 are likely to support, considering that since the district was created in 2014, it has only elected progressive Latinas (Delia Garza, currently Travis County attorney, and Fuentes).
Fuentes – who was elected in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic raged and quickly thereafter was thrust into disaster response as Winter Storm Uri froze Austin – is hoping for a second term that will be less dominated by catastrophe. One of her goals if reelected would be to develop programs that can help her district’s homeowners maximize the value of their land.
“D2 has the largest concentration of Latino homeowners,” Fuentes said. “And I hear a lot of questions about how people can get financial assistance to build a casita on their lot.”
In response to a Council resolution she co-sponsored, city staff are exploring ways the city could finance low-interest loans to qualified buyers. Fuentes said she is also looking at ways the city can grow its down-payment assistance program, which she said is drastically underutilized (a city auditor report on the program will be published soon).
“When disasters hit, it’s our Black and brown communities that bear the brunt of the damage.” – Incumbent Vanessa Fuentes
Fuentes also said she would continue to push for a bond package in 2025 designed to take bold action on climate change. “We had a huge missed opportunity by not pursuing an environmental bond package this November,” Fuentes said, referencing an effort led by her colleague Council Member Ryan Alter. Her district is in need of bond funding for improvements to drainage infrastructure because it is flood-prone and money from a 2018 bond for that use is running out. She hopes that a 2025 package can address that concern along with others around climate resilience.
“When disasters hit, it’s our Black and brown communities that bear the brunt of the damage,” Fuentes said. “It’s vital that, as a city, we work proactively to prevent that.”
Reynolds did not respond to interview requests before our deadline. Kenny Reynolds, his campaign treasurer, told the Chronicle Sept. 16 that Robert had recently injured his shoulder and was recuperating from surgery.
This article appears in September 20 • 2024.