This guide provides a clear overview of AURA’s endorsed candidates for Austin’s City Council elections.
AURA is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization dedicated to solving Austin’s housing crisis by promoting diverse, abundant housing and accessible transit for all.
| Position | AURA’s Choice |
| Mayor of Austin | Kirk Watson |
| Austin City Council, District 2 | Vanessa Fuentes |
| Austin City Council, District 4 | José “Chito” Vela |
| Austin City Council, District 6 | Krista Laine |
| Austin City Council, District 7 | Adam Powell |
| Austin City Council, District 10 | Ashika Ganguly |
City Council races are non-partisan, meaning candidates will not have a party label. If no candidate secures 50% of the vote, a runoff election will occur on Saturday, December 14th.
Meet the Candidates
Mayor: Kirk Watson
In his first term, Mayor Kirk Watson has overseen the most progressive term on housing policy in Austin’s history, turning Austin into a national leader on housing policy. Using his connections as a former State Senator, he fought fiercely to protect Project Connect rail line against Ken Paxton and other anti-transit forces at the Texas State Legislature trying to kill it.
District 2: Vanessa Fuentes
In addition to supporting all of the major pro-housing legislation passed by Council in the past two years, Council Member Vanessa Fuentes has led the charge in reducing costs for and increasing access to childcare through simplifying and removing unnecessary zoning barriers and regulations for providers.
District 4: José “Chito” Vela
Council Member Chito Vela has been a fierce advocate of housing reform and transit in his first term, fighting to keep Austin as a welcoming city for working class people. Vela led on efforts to strengthen tenant protections and to bring excessive “compatibility” standards in line with other cites. He also serves on the CapMetro board and has been a champion for Project Connect’s light rail project.
District 6: Krista Laine
Krista Laine is running to bring better representation to District 6 than has been provided by her opponent, Mackenzie Kelly, who opposes transit and has voted against most of the recent housing reforms. Through her work with Round Rock ISD, Krista is intimately familiar with affordability challenges in her district and is enthusiastic about bringing District 6 better connectivity to the central city.
District 7: Adam Powell
Adam Powell is a native Austinite and a passionate advocate for housing, transit, and his community. He has served as a Board Member for Austin’s SAFE Alliance, Vice President of the North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association, and as a CapMetro committee member.
Other Approved (runner-up) Candidates: Todd Shaw, Mike Siegel
District 10: Ashika Ganguly
Ashika Ganguly grew up in Austin, is a former public school teacher, and currently serves as a Legislative Director at the State Capitol. Seeing firsthand the struggles her community faced with childcare, affordability, and reliable public transit compelled her to become an advocate for policy change at City Hall.