Leadership and winning elections aren’t always the same thing.
I rarely focus on municipal politics here, preferring to focus on the trends that are driving our electorate either (1) forward or (2) apart. When you examine local politics too closely, it’s sometimes too easy to mis-identify a neighbor as a threat.
Last weekend, Austin held its regular bi-annual May election. Originally calendared to facilitate a more focused approach to local issues, local voter participation is notoriously low. Saturday’s election was no different.
This year’s spring ballot proposed several updates to Austin’s political landscape, including a couple of initiatives that, on substance alone, instead revealed the torn political landscape in our rapidly evolving town.
Perhaps the most volatile proposal on the ballot was to reinstate a camping ban in Austin, which impacts every Austinite, particularly those experiencing homelessness. It passed, and in the process, revealed a widening dividing line between those who love our city and, well, those who love our city.
This in itself is not unusual in a community (or a business) experiencing growing pains. What was unusual, however, was the level of rancor, existential dread, and leverage of the issue by in- and out-of-market interests in what appeared to be attempts to define a community which has steadfastly identified itself as difficult to define.
As the dust continues to settle, Austinites are still faced with a decades old problem in search of a solution. And it’s up to Austinites to begin again the process of listening, negotiation, resolution, and action.
Focusing on the results of any election (win or lose) is missing the opportunity and the purpose. There’s always a Plan B. It just might not be right in front of you or the one you brought to the table.
It’s worth remembering that members of our community have been working on this issue for many years — amid feast and famine attention by City Council, the business community, and the general public — and have recently introduced innovative solutions to meet the quickly evolving expectations of our community. Politics and government action is appropriately the last step toward lasting solutions.
Check these leaders out, talk to someone from another part of town, and stay involved.
