- The BG Reads
- Posts
- BG Reads Weekend Edition (11.24.2024)
BG Reads Weekend Edition (11.24.2024)
🟪 BG Reads Weekend Edition (11.24.2024)
BG Reads Weekend Edition (11.24.2024)
www.binghamgp.com
Top Clicks for the Week of November 18, 2024
🟪 Council approves updated Water Forward, Conservation and Drought Contingency plans (Austin Monitor)
⬇️
WEEKEND NEWS
➡️ Austin mayoral candidate Carmen Llanes Pulido drops recount pursuit, concedes race (KUT)
Carmen Llanes Pulido officially conceded the race for Austin mayor Friday, announcing she would not file an amended petition seeking a recount.
On Thursday, she submitted a petition for a recount of Austin’s 11 precincts in Williamson County. The request was rejected because state law requires a recount to be of an entire jurisdiction. Austin voters live in Travis, Hays and Williamson counties.
"After a long two weeks of changing results, news alerts, dozens of legal opinions, and my own team's cost-benefit analysis of re-examining the results of this incredibly close election tally I have decided to lay down the pursuit of a recount and bring a close to my mayoral campaign," Llanes Pulido said in a written statement.
Candidates who seek a recount must pay for it. There is a certain cost per voting site. If the outcome of the election is changed by the recount, the entire deposit is returned to the petitioner, according to the Secretary of State.
It's "time to turn my attention to what is in the absolute best interest of the constituents of Austin," she wrote. "The goal of this campaign was always to get us more accountable and community-driven leadership in our municipal government."… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Austin's new historic preservation plan aims to protect what makes the city special (KUT)
Austin will implement a new historic preservation plan, replacing the city’s four-decade-old document.
“This is a turning point for our city to make sure that we celebrate everyone’s history and create great places in the process,” Council Member Zo Qadri said after the plan was adopted Thursday.
The plan includes 107 recommendations city leaders say will expand the tools, programs and resources for preservation in a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable way.
It includes goals and recommendations to recognize Austin’s rich and complex history and better protect cultural heritage like legacy businesses and murals. The document says the city will use preservation tools to prevent displacement of residents, reduce waste and promote energy efficiency… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Bledsoe, Siegel share policy visions ahead of Austin City Council District 7 runoff (Community Impact)
Civil rights attorneys Gary Bledsoe and Mike Siegel, the two finalists in Austin's District 7 City Council race, discussed their differing policy visions and approaches at a November candidate forum.
Bledsoe and Siegel were District 7's two top finishers in the November general election, but as neither secured a majority vote they now head to a runoff contest Dec. 14.Early voting in select locations will run from Dec. 2-10, and anyone eligible to vote by mail can request a mail ballot through Dec. 3.Siegel finished just below 40% in the six-way general election race and Bledsoe ended up over 19%. The pair had outpaced their competition with the highest donation levels and spending totals in the North Austin council race this year… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Developers concerned by potential changes to Williamson County subdivision standards (Austin Business Journal)
Proposed changes to subdivision regulations in Williamson County have many developers concerned that the plan will add a project-slowing layer of red tape in a booming region of the Austin metro considered development-friendly.
The Williamson County Commissioners Court earlier this month posted notice of a public hearing to consider the changes during its Dec. 10 meeting — although there's a chance it will be delayed. The proposed updates include tweaks to processes related to transportation systems, water and wastewater, and more.
Members of the development community contacted by the Austin Business Journal expressed substantial misgivings about many of the proposals. Primarily, they're irked by a requirement to obtain guarantees from water and wastewater utilities earlier on in a project, saying it runs counter to how the process works. They're also concerned about what they say has been a lack of transparency regarding the potential changes.
"Subdivisions have been permitted and developed in Williamson County for most of our careers, which is about 20 years, with very little drama or issue — in terms of both traffic, utilities, public safety, engineering design, (that) has all been pretty cut and dry," said Seth Mearig, CEO of Gray Engineering Inc., which is working on a number of big housing projects in Williamson County. "In terms of a big overhaul, I'm not sure that that was specifically necessary."… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Trump nominates former Texas lawmaker Scott Turner to lead Housing and Urban Development (Texas Tribune)
President-elect Donald Trump nominated former state House lawmaker Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday night, the first Texan to find a seat in Trump’s second Cabinet.
Turner previously represented Frisco in the Texas House from 2013 to 2017. He also served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the first Trump administration. If Turner wins confirmation, he will be in charge of leading HUD and advising the president on housing-related issues.
After graduating from the University of Illinois, Turner played in the NFL for several years for the then-Washington Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. In 2006, he made a failed bid for Congress in California before winning his seat in the Texas Legislature in 2012, where he served until 2017… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Trump picks Texan Brooke Rollins to lead agriculture department (Texas Tribune)
Rollins to lead the Department of Agriculture, the third Texan he has selected for his cabinet.
Rollins, who grew up in Glen Rose, is president of the America First Policy Institute, which was set up in 2021 to promote Trump’s policy initiatives after he was defeated for reelection. She previously was the CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank headquartered in Austin.
Rollins’ support of Trump dates back to his first campaign in 2016, when she served on his Economic Advisory Council. In a statement Saturday, Trump said that Rollins did an "incredible job" serving multiple policy roles in his first term.
Several news organizations reported Friday that Trump intended to nominate Kelly Loeffler, who served briefly as a U.S. senator representing Georgia, for the role. But that turned out not to be true... 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
TikTok CEO seeks Musk’s counsel on incoming Trump administration (Wall Street Journal)
TikTok is reaching out for insight about the U.S. from Elon Musk, who is both owner of a rival social-media platform and one of President-elect Trump’s closest confidants.
Shou Chew, chief executive of the popular video app, initiated messages with the billionaire in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. Chew and executives at TikTok’s parent company, Chinese tech giant ByteDance, view Musk as a potentially helpful conduit to the incoming administration at a time when TikTok faces the prospect of a looming ban in the U.S. over national security concerns.
Chew, who has known Musk for several years, asked the Tesla TSLA 3.80%increase; green up pointing triangle CEO, who also owns the social-media platform X, his opinions on topics ranging from the incoming administration to potential tech policy, some of the people said.
The pair haven’t discussed explicit options for ways to keep TikTok operating in the U.S., they said. Chew has kept senior ByteDance executives apprised of the interactions, and ByteDance executives have felt cautiously optimistic there could be a path forward, the people said… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
⬇️
We are proud to represent and have represented a wide range of clients in the Austin Metro and Texas Capitol at the intersection of government and business.
Learn more about Bingham Group’s experience here, and review client testimonials here.
www.binghamgp.com
Copyright (C) " target="_blank">unsubscribe