As part of our continuing coverage of this year’s historic 10-1 city election, we’ve asked the Chronicle news writers to consider the new districts they’ve been covering, and to address the specific issues raised within those districts – not only by the candidates, but by the specific circumstances and demographic conditions of each district. Candidates may be using similar terms – for example, “affordability” or “public engagement” – but those terms often mean dramatically different things, depending on where one lives. Those distinctions have lent different shades to the campaign forums and discussions, and this week and next, we’ll be considering those varying shadings. This week: Districts 1-5.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Contributing writer and former news editor Michael King has reported on city and state politics for the Chronicle since 2000. He was educated at Indiana University and Yale, and from 1977 to 1985 taught at UT-Austin. He has been the editor of the Houston Press and The Texas Observer, and has reported and written widely on education, politics, and cultural subjects.