City opts out of new nuke plant (Austin)

[sonias]

AAS 1/15/08
City opts out of new nuke plant
Friday, February 15, 2008

At its meeting Thursday, the Austin City Council:

Voted not to participate in the ownership of new nuclear generating units at the South Texas Project
(snip)

Set a public hearing regarding whether Austin should change to a districts-based form of government for Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at City Hall

:bounce::bounce::bounce:
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

This is another one of the projects I work on. Nuke Free Texas. If we could get San Antonio to vote "no" too, the expansion project for South Texas Nuclear Project would be dead! Come on San Antonio, join us!

That last item is about single member districts for the Austin City Council.

Sonia

[crispini]

1. Ugh, I would advise NOT on that last item.

People think that the single-district thing means that you get a specific representative. BUT, it leads towards this "fiefdom" kind of thing, where, if your rep is no good or not representing you, you don't get any representation at all. I'd advise against that.

[sonias]

2. But crispini wouldn't it be easier to unseat your council member?

It seems to me that if your council member is not representing you, you get someone else to challenge them and then replace them. This is more a grassroots opportunity than an at large system. Campaigns are less expensive if they are district oriented rather than city wide. You might get a better representation of the district, rather than just the rich or special interest backed candidates.

Just my two cents. I appreciate your input.

Thanks

Sonia

[crispini]

3. Well, that's a good point, but of course you have the election cycle to take into account.

Say you've got a zoning issue that's coming up NOW that's really important to you and your hood. You have a weak council person. You're shit-outta-luck, because the OTHER council members won't say BOO to you. "That's so-and-so's fiefdom, sorry, not talking to you." Sure, you can unseat them in the future, but it doesn't do you any good now.

Maybe a mixed at-large and representative system might get you the best of both worlds. Hmmm...

[sonias]

4. Thanks

I think that's what we're considering a mixed system, with single member and at large positions too.

Sonia

[NoPasaran]

5. crispini, what's happened in Austin

Historically, the central city has elected the council, with many candidates not even bothering to campaign in the outlying parts of town. That, combined with the fact that the city pretty much ignores any neighborhood that doesn't have a strong (and noisy) neighborhood association has meant that large swathes of the city (including where I live) are essentially unrepresented. Honestly, I'd like to see a switch to some single member districts combined with some at-large.