RYAN AUTULLO Published October 14, 2022
Article edited for brevity, includes only candidate stances on public safety issues.
The American-Statesman surveyed the candidates in the Austin City Council District 9 race to get their positions on some of the key issues facing the city and their district.
Here are their responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity:
Linda Guerrero
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
People will be camping either openly or in hiding until we can provide housing for those in need. Rather than requiring people to meet conditions before qualifying for public housing, I believe that the first step is to provide a roof over their heads and then help the former homeless residents through their problems such as mental illness and drug addiction. Additional permanent supportive housing is necessary instead of shelters. I am interested in the Community First Village housing model as a possible solution. I believe that we should make supportive community housing available in all parts of the city, not just on county land. Housing needs to be built as funding is available.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
The delay in the cadet classes, along with higher than average retirement rates, had measurable impacts on the vacancy rates. While the vacancy rate is of course an important metric, it only tells part of the story of increasing response times, concerns about officer safety, and overall morale. The next council will have to navigate through the meet and confer process to respond to these challenges, while also rebuilding trust in the community through enhanced police accountability and oversight. We’re going to need strong council leadership to help bring us forward and achieve such a contract.
I support Austin’s Reimagining Public Safety Initiative, a holistic approach to training, retraining, assessing and evolving public safety systems intended to address community needs equitably for all Austinites.
Ben Leffler
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
The HEAL initiative is a good program, but it’s not enough, and we just learned that nearly a third of program participants left without a permanent home placement, which, again, speaks to the critical need for more housing. The city must improve data collection to better understand how people are moving through HEAL, and work to decrease the time they’re waiting for housing placement. Homelessness is not unique to Austin, so we should partner with adjacent communities on a strategic regional plan that takes a housing first approach and increases temporary and permanent supportive housing. In a time of limited budgets, this will require partnership with the private sector for much needed resources.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
Unfortunately, increased societal dislocation, rising mental health challengesa nd reckless state gun policies have created significant issues across the country, including Austin. While meeting with neighbors, I have heard many concerns about the rise in crime and police response times. This is exacerbated by the current APD vacancies, and we need to better understand how to staff the department appropriately, because everyone in our community deserves to feel safe.
If we’re ever going to have faith that public safety is equitable in Austin, our City Council must work hand-in-hand with the community and APD to find common ground, because Austinites deserve to trust in their police department. To rebuild trust, our itcy must acknowledge that Black and other Communities of Color have been overpoliced and disproportionately experience police violence.
Zena Mitchell
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
I propose that we install public restrooms a few blocks from anywhere in the city. Perhaps port-a-potties under bridges until populations are homed. A public shower and laundry center. How could anyone find employment without access to these basic needs?
Getting any kind of social services, assistance, mental healthcare requires access to a mailbox, phones, and computer, and the ability to use them. Create resource centers staffed with people who can assist. Hire homeless to fill many of these positions. Locate, reach out to, and educate people as to what resources are available to them.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
I believe we need to alleviate duties of the police that would be better served by other professionals. In trying to find help for my own brother who experiences dementia and severe mood swings, I was told someone could drop by his place for a “wellness check.” I later learned this was done not by a social worker, but a police officer. It terrified me that in my brother’s state of mind, he could have panicked seeing an officer and injured the officer or get killed himself. And what could have happened if he were a person of color? We need to safely let professionals handle their own professions.
Kym Olson
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
Youth in Austin have very few options other than the ARCH. Not OK, as there is no separate area for them. We must create a Center for Health Care Services to provide all types of services and can accommodate any and all our citizens as needed and for those without homes, absolutely crucial to meet their basic mental needs prior to giving them keys to a home and sending them on their way. Taking care of the needs of our community is a principle responsibility of city government. The current plan is a smoking mirror to hide our dirtiness, rather than provide the assistance needed.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
(Bad) and getting worse. The APD contract actually ends at the end of September. When we can’t tell a recruit what their benefits or salary will look like moving forward, we are left with the officers that can’t get a job anywhere else. we could alleviate so much of their time wasted on mental health, social issues, well being, and stick to crime and criminal issues.
Zohaib “Zo” Qadri
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
We must be proactive about preventing displacement of and stopping homelessness at the source, including intervening the earlier stages of housing insecurity caused by unaffordability, low minimum wages for our city’s workers, and the need to fortify our right-to-return and right-to-stay programs. We can also go further on existing initiatives: expanding community land trusts, investing in housing vouchers for low-income residents, and ensuring the $300M in Project Connect anti-displacement funds gets spent on truly affordable housing.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
Our police force currently has the largest budget of any of our first responders, yet currently with the other city departments being short staffed, it pulls APD away from their duties. We need to ensure there’s pay parity and equitable funding across all city services, and additionally improve the community’s relationship with Austin’s police through intentional policy reforms that increase transparency and citizen oversight. Despite unequivocal money invested in the Austin police budget, we have seen too often that policing does not equal safer streets. We need to reimagine public safety. Amid the tragic shooting of Mike Ramos, police did not stop that tragic loss of life, and in fact community care solutions ranging from improving street lighting and pedestrianized street infrastructure have empirically helped decrease loss of life in the urban core of cities like Austin.
Greg Smith
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
It is clear to me that the issue of homelessness is not improving. The great majority of residents I have spoken with have pointed to our city leaders as those responsible for taking us down a failed path while continuing to support the same initiatives that have not produced measurable results. We must start over. We have to build partnerships that recognized the goals of the entire community and have the will to execute plans that achieve those goals. As a leader, it is my responsibility to provide those partnerships with the resources necessary, like city owned property and services, and then holding them accountable for the desired results.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
We have failed the residents of our community so badly with regards to public safety, not just policing, that I believe our community has begun to accept a lower quality of life. The vision of Imagine Austin, adopted by our city more than 10 years ago, is unflinchingly consistent in its message regarding the importance of public safety in our community, that the word “safe” shows up more than 100 times. I will be accountable reestablishing those goals and adapting them to reflect the needs of our current circumstances.
Joah Spearman
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
I believe the city should not rely solely on the wits of City Council and City Hall employees to drum up good ideas around homelessness, but also direct pension dollars and other institutional funds towards housing- and homelessness-focused solutions that would enable our innovation sector to join the effort in serving the unhoused population in Austin. Just as Boston is leaning on its public health expertise and Houston is leaning on its low-code environment to address chronic homelessness, Austin must also lean on its strength.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
Police officer training must reflect a broader mission than doing things the way they’ve always been done just as our strategy for addressing homelessness must have a broader vision than whack-a-mole type hotel purchases without a long-term policy for citywide affordability and housing availability. We can continue to treat each of these things as individual problems to be solved with individualized focus or we can acknowledge the interconnectedness of these issues as our city continues to grow and create a master plan for public safety that embraces the intersectionality of policing, race and socio-economic history, housing affordability, public and mental health, resilience and disaster preparedness.
Tom Wald
What is something you would change about the city’s policies on homelessness?
I firmly believe that we can and should end chronic homelessness by providing adequate permanent housing to those who need it. On the way to achieving that goal, and by 2024, we should provide a minimum of basic shelter to all those who need it. By the end of 2023, we should expand transitional or emergency shelter in order to immediately lift up the health and safety of all those who are unhoused.
How would you rate the quality of policing services Austinites are getting as the police department deals with hundreds of officer vacancies, and what can be done to improve those services?
We need a data-driven approach to frame our response to emerging crime trends. Of major cities, Austin continues to have among the lowest violent crime rates. Most cities saw an uptick during the pandemic, regardless of changes to police forces or budgets. Our community is stronger, safer, more just, and healthier when we focus on preventative measures, e.g. social services, sidewalks, housing, education, economic development, rather than focusing only on reactive measures that often exacerbate problems and cost much more.