Reinventing the Austin City Council

Ann O'M. Bowman
Book Cover

PB: $19.95
EAN: 978-1-4399-2000-8
Publication: Jul 20

HC: $55.50
EAN: 978-1-4399-1999-6
Publication: Jul 20

Ebook: $19.95
EAN: 978-1-4399-2001-5
Publication: Jul 20

130 pages
6 x 9
9 tables, 5 figs., 1 halftones, 1 maps

Examining how Austin, Texas changed the way it elects its city council—and why it matters

Description

Until recently, Austin, the progressive, politically liberal capital of Texas, elected its city council using a not-so-progressive system. Candidates competed citywide for seats, and voters could cast ballots for as many candidates as there were seats up for election. However, this approach disadvantages the representation of geographically-concentrated minority groups, thereby—among other things—preventing the benefits of growth from reaching all of the city’s communities.

Reinventing the Austin City Council explores the puzzle that was Austin’s reluctance to alter its at-large system and establish a geographically-based, single-member district system. Ann Bowman chronicles the repeated attempts to change the system, the eventual decision to do so, and the consequences of that change. In the process, she explores the many twists and turns that occurred in Austin as it struggled to design a fair system of representation. Reinventing the Austin City Council assesses the impact of the new district system since its inception in 2014.

Austin’s experience ultimately offers a political lesson for creating institutional change.

About the Author(s)

Ann O’M. Bowman is a Professor of Government in the Department of Public Service and Administration in the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and holds the Hazel Davis and Robert Kennedy Endowed Chair. She is the co-author of several books including State and Local Government and Terra Incognita: Vacant Land and Urban Strategies.


Subjects

Political Science and Public Policy Urban Studies Race and Ethnicity

In the Series

  • Political Lessons from American Cities edited by Richardson Dilworth

    The Political Lessons from American Cities series, edited by Richardson Dilworth, will publish short books of approximately 25,000-30,000 words, each covering one major American city and an important lesson that city has to offer to the study and practice of American politics. These lessons will span a relatively broad range of topics, encompassing globalization, labor, race relations, immigration, financial crisis and decline, organizational structure of government, political reform, and more. Combining synthesis and original research, these short, accessibly written books will be particularly useful for course adoption. Prospective authors should contact series editor Richardson Dilworth or Editor-in-Chief Aaron Javsicas at Temple University Press to discuss their work in progress for inclusion in the series.