Max Nofziger kicked off his mayoral campaign for last Friday at Güero’s amid a laid-back South Austin crowd sprinkled with a couple of Republicans. The former three-term council member touts his City Hall background, plus his experience dealing with economic shortfalls (he rode into office during the 1987 bust), as qualifications for the job.
This is Nofziger’s fourth run for mayor, his second since leaving the council in 1996 — he finished third in 1997 against Kirk Watson and Ronney Reynolds. Two years ago, Nofziger was a paid consultant to the forces opposing light rail; the head of that campaign, former Tracor CEO Jim Skaggs, was among those attending Nofziger’s press conference last week.
Oddly enough, former Mayor Lee Cooke also turned out to show his support. Cooke acknowledged that he and Nofziger were opposed on many issues when they shared the dais, but they found common ground on other matters. “I was a conservative businessman, and he was a liberal flower salesman,” Cooke recalled. “But I found Max to be one of the most intelligent and thoughtful people I’ve ever worked with.” It was Nofziger’s vote that helped swing the deal for the Austin Convention Center, one of Cooke’s pet projects.
At his announcement, Nofziger outlined a platform that addresses the ongoing environmental dilemmas of the day, along with the budget crunch, public safety, affordable housing, and the withering state of the so-called Live Music Capital of the World. Noting the lackluster turnout in recent elections, Nofziger believes his candidacy will regenerate voter interest in the local electoral process. “The prime goal of this campaign is to provoke a discussion, to get people interested,” he said. “I’m not afraid of debate. I’m going to provoke interest in this race — and that’s how I’m going to get elected.”
This article appears in January 31 • 2003.
