The South Austin battle
A look at the candidates in District 5.
The last Council race I'm going to profile is the one in South Austin's District 5, where Council Member Ryan Alter is being challenged by David Weinberg, a well-funded opponent with strong ties to the neighborhood network.
Alter came into office four years ago after six years working at the Legislature, including two for then-Sen. Kirk Watson. He also did some homebuilding on the side. He came into office with very strong and informed views and big ambitions to translate them into policy. That has served him well when others are on board, such as on land use reforms like HOME.
Today's sponsor:
The Austin Metric is a new policy-focused newsletter by Julio Gonzalez Altamirano. Each month, Julio will analyze the most meaningful local-government policy story in Austin. No AI slop or hot takes. Just wonky coverage of the decisions that matter. The Austin Metric newsletter is free and always will be. Subscribe today.
Alter's problem is when he crosses the line between confidence and hubris. Nobody doubts his book smarts — a UT engineering degree and a Harvard law degree — but colleagues often resent his confidence in his own views and his dismissiveness of theirs. Nevertheless, he has earned the support of eight of his 10 colleagues, including Watson.
