Kelly obtained 52% of the vote (7,875) whereas Flannigan obtained 48% (7,198), in keeping with unofficial outcomes from the Travis County Clerk’s Workplace.
AUSTIN, Texas — Mackenzie Kelly can be Austin’s new council member for District 6 after defeating incumbent Jimmy Flannigan within the runoff election Tuesday night time.
Kelly obtained 52% of the vote (7,875) whereas Flannigan obtained 48% (7,198), in keeping with unofficial results from the Travis County Clerk’s Office.
Flannigan addressed his loss throughout a digital watch occasion Tuesday night time, saying partly, “I’m excited for the remainder of my colleagues who I do know will proceed this work and the longer term council member who I hope does her finest to symbolize this district with honor and brings the superb and highly effective voices I’ve come to like and respect which are on this district.”
Kelly, who can be the president of Take Back Austin, can be sworn into the council through the first week of January. Many see Kelly because the lone conservative voice now on the town council. She primarily ran on a platform to decrease property taxes, reverse Austin’s homeless tenting ordinance and decide to public security, amongst different issues.
The “lone conservative” on the town council
Although the town council is a bipartisan place, Kelly will seemingly be the lone conservative in a metropolis council that’s primarily identified for having Democratic views.
“Nonetheless, I do need to make it very clear that regardless of being a conservative myself, I need to do what’s proper for the district and which means listening to Independents, Democrats and Republicans throughout the board who need their voices heard. That is my function as a metropolis councilperson, to make an knowledgeable resolution primarily based on what the neighborhood wants and needs,” Kelly instructed KVUE. “I feel we’ll concentrate on attempting to bridge the division in the neighborhood first, and I plan on speaking to all the council members and attending to know them for a little bit bit [and] additionally looking for ways in which we will compromise.”
In an interview with KVUE on Wednesday, Kelly mentioned she believes she will work properly along with the remainder of the council, including that some future colleagues like Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Metropolis Supervisor Spencer Cronk and Councilmember Greg Casar known as to congratulate her on her victory and focus on the longer term.
“I feel one of many favourite issues that we talked about was discovering commonalities and dealing collectively to do what’s proper for the town of Austin. And that, that offers me hope for this metropolis that if we will try this, then we’re on our approach to fixing the town of Austin,” Kelly mentioned.
She added that one matter she’ll be tackling when she takes her seat is learn how to deal with Austin’s homeless inhabitants.
“So, at present, I have not seen any statistical knowledge or analysis that backs up shopping for the motels which are at present getting used to provide the homeless a spot to remain,” Kelly mentioned. “I do not see that as a sustainable answer for ending homelessness. I feel that we have to assault the systemic causes that folks grow to be homeless over and work to repair the options so we will elevate individuals out of that.”
She added that she wish to see extra private-public partnerships that encourage the people experiencing homelessness to accumulate job abilities or some type of help with any type of psychological sickness or habit points they could be experiencing to allow them to be lifted up out of that state of affairs.
It was a protracted marketing campaign for Kelly main as much as Tuesday night time’s runoff. It additionally wasn’t her first time working for metropolis council: she completed with 9% of the vote in a 2014 race.
Some controversy surrounded Kelly after a photograph made the rounds on social media that included her with Austin Police Department officers posing in photos with protesters who’re gesturing the “white energy” hand image. A KVUE photographer additionally noticed protesters that day carrying shirts that learn “Proud Boys.”
Kelly addressed that photograph in her interview with KVUE Wednesday.
“It was purely by probability that they jumped into it. They do not symbolize my beliefs or values in anyway. And I do not condone that kind of conduct. I really feel that one of the best ways in a neighborhood to unravel points the place two events do not agree is to speak it out and to be affordable,” she mentioned. “I might hope that anybody, no matter what their political leanings, is a Democrat, Impartial or Republican, as a result of they really feel that they’ll attain out to my workplace and get a response and have their wants met. That is what I am there for. I am there to symbolize them. And I’m not related in any respect with any type of hate group or racism, and I will not stand for that in any respect.”
You possibly can hear extra of Kelly’s responses from her KVUE interview within the video beneath:
What to anticipate
David Thomason, an assistant professor of political science at St. Edward’s University, mentioned Kelly may convey a unique dynamic to the town council as a lone conservative voice.
“She’s going to all the time be within the minority on most points. She’s going to be within the minority, however I feel she’ll be a vocal minority on the council,” Thomason mentioned. “I feel that her place is unquestionably on the aspect of advocacy at this level, however I feel what it reveals is that there are elements of the town that aren’t snug and don’t be ok with the present established order of the town council.”
Thomason added that Kelly could possibly be the primary of extra conservative candidates getting into metropolis council races within the coming years.
“So, I feel we’ll see different elements of the town – southwest of Austin, for instance, which is type of a mixture of conservative and liberal residents – I feel you may see extra, extra candidates that can comply with go well with,” Thomason mentioned.
General, Thomason believes Kelly being the one conservative voice on the council may harm her possibilities of passing ordinances or including vital change to coverage, however he hopes the council will work properly collectively.
“I feel that is the hope, is that they’ll discover consensus. And I feel they’ll. I feel they’re going to discover the vast majority of the time that, that the town council can be coping with points that aren’t as divisive as a few of these high-profile points like homelessness and police funding,” Thomason mentioned. “I feel the vast majority of the time, the town council, in session with the town supervisor, will make joint sound, strong place resolution.”
Kelly is the primary conservative to sit on the council since Ellen Troxclair, who represented District 8 from 2014 to 2018.
“I feel it is a very clear sign that the, the town as an entire, however particularly her district, is able to say and to have somebody who’s going to assist public security and take some steps to enhance the homeless concern that we have seen,” Troxclair instructed KVUE Wednesday. “And it doesn’t matter what degree of presidency, I feel it is actually essential to have some type of stability. And we do not have stability on the present metropolis council. And with Mackenzie Kelly there, I feel there can be lots of people in Austin who lastly really feel like their voices can be heard.”
Troxclair added that she believes that Kelly has the potential to be greater than only a voice for the Austinites which have extra conservative values.
“It may be some and a few. After all, there are going to be some points that she’s going to be the one dissenting ‘no’ vote. However I promise there are going to be loads of different points that she goes to search out consensus together with her colleagues,” Troxclair mentioned. “I feel that we’ll discover that there are different council colleagues who wish to work together with her to enhance the general public security state of affairs, to perhaps take a unique method on homelessness.”
