AUSTIN, Texas — The November election is right around the corner, and Austinites have a big decision to make: Who will be the city's next mayor?
Current Mayor Steve Adler has reached his term limit and cannot run for re-election. Now, six candidates are vying to replace him.
To help voters make an informed decision at the polls this election, KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman – with distribution partners KUT – hosted a debate with the six mayoral candidates. Watch the full debate below.
KVUE's Managing Editor of Political Content Ashley Goudeau served as chief moderator and Ryan Autullo, city government reporter for the Statesman, co-moderated. The full debate was livestreamed on KVUE.com, our KVUE YouTube page and on KVUE+, available on Amazon Fire-TV and Roku.
The six candidates running for mayor are Anthony Bradshaw, Phil Brual, Celia Israel, Gary S. Spellman, Jennifer Virden and Kirk Watson.
Ahead of the debate, KVUE asked the Austin community to submit the questions they would like to hear the candidates answer. Some of those questions were incorporated into the debate.
The deadline to register to vote in Texas is Oct. 11. Early voting runs from Oct. 24 through Nov. 4. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
In addition to electing a new mayor, some Austin residents will have the opportunity to choose their city council representative. See the candidates running for various city council seats.
Recap the debate as it happened:
8:24 p.m. – The candidates are now providing closing statements. The full debate will be available to watch on KVUE.com, KVUE+ and the KVUE YouTube page.
8:11 p.m. – Asked about balancing public safety with accountability within the Austin Police Department, Virden said she believes the city council should restore its relationship with APD.
Watson said everyone should feel safe, including those needing the police as well as those interacting with the police. He believes that can be done with a fully staffed police force.
Israel said officers need to be held to a high standard, with mental health resources included for residents in crisis.
Spellman called out Mayor Steve Adler for falling asleep at Officer Anthony Martin's funeral this month, saying the problem with police staffing is that the city council doesn't respect the police force.
8 p.m. – Asked whether the City should be housing homeless people in hotels, most candidates say no. Watson says "if they can play a role," but they should not be the only housing.
7:40 p.m. – When asked about how to ensure Austinites get what they voted for with Project Connect, Bradshaw said he would create "a fund" to ease the burden on taxpayers, based on voluntary donations.
Brual said he believes Austin has dragged its feet with Project Connect, which he said is not cost effective. He wants Austin voters to decide again if they still want the project.
Israel believes Austin voters embraced Project Connect and she said it's an important project to provide equity for the city's residents.
Spellman believes in better transparency over the project going forward.
Virden said the vote was based on a hypothetical, but the reality has proven too expensive. She also wants to put the project back in front of voters.
Watson said he wants to "learn from the past" after a rail project failed in 2000, while the costs were lower.
7:30 p.m. – Candidates are discussing what they would do to ease traffic congestion. Israel said she believes in transit as equity, embracing Project Connect.
Brual wants to improve the speed of construction projects to free up roads.
Virden said she wants to work with TxDOT to invest in Austin-area roads, as well as coordinate traffic light signals better.
Spellman said he wants to look at "moving people, not cars," as most people want to drive.
Watson said the City needs better coordination between various traffic authorities, including TxDOT, the County and toll road operators.
7:29 p.m. – Virden said she would propose to reduce the minimum lot size if the City were to update the land development code. Watson said he wants to make it easier to update our existing housing and properties.
Spellman agreed with other candidates, noting it takes "too long" to get things done as a small business owner.
7:24 p.m. – Candidates are discussing how they would increase housing supply while also preserving the character of neighborhoods.
Brual said he would update the city's zoning laws. Bradshaw said the issue would take time to fix due to high interest rates.
Watson said he wants to sunset the Development Services Department.
7:23 p.m. – Candidates were asked if they support the City's $350 million housing bond. All said yes, except Virden.
7:15 p.m. – Phil Brual, a UT student, is asked what makes him qualified to run the city. He said he understands the struggles many Austinites are going through.
7:14 p.m. – Jennifer Virden is asked how she plans to lead as with different viewpoints of the majority of the council. She said she would focus on the common-ground issues that come with running the city.
7:11 p.m. – Rep. Celia Israel is asked about her policies supporting abortion rights. She said she will stand up to the State of Texas to work to support abortion rights for Austinites who need to travel out of the state or country.
7:08 p.m. – Kirk Watson is asked what he would have done differently when he was mayor of Austin. He answers by saying some of his policies led to the ongoing gentrification in East Austin that is pushing out long-time Black residents.
7 p.m. – The debate kicks off!
PHOTOS: KVUE, Austin American-Statesman host mayoral debate
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