The race for District 8 in Southwest Austin is wide open. In July, incumbent Council Member Ellen Troxclair, who since 2015, announced that she . During her tenure, Troxclair earned a reputation as the lone conservative on the Austin City Council.
Watch a forum with the District 8 candidates:
Frank Ward, who currently serves on the city鈥檚 , has been endorsed by Troxclair. According to his campaign website, he has previous experience working at the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the White House, the U.S. Senate and the Texas Capitol.
Though City Council races are nonpartisan, Paige Ellis identifies as a Democrat running for the District 8 seat. She currently works as a marketing and public involvement specialist for the Austin-based environmental consulting firm, aci Group. Ellis has previously volunteered for the Texas Book Festival and Keep Austin Beautiful. She has also served as a state convention delegate for the Texas Democratic Party.
Bobby Levinski is an attorney for the local nonprofit Save Our Springs Alliance. He has also been involved with , a coalition that led the charge to put CodeNEXT to a public vote. Levinski has previously worked as a policy advisor for Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, and former Austin City Council Members Laura Morrison and Jennifer Kim.
Rich DePalma is a small-business owner and community advocate based in Southwest Austin. He serves on the city鈥檚 and its . DePalma has served on several other local boards, including subcommittees for the Austin Independent School District.
__________________
KUT has partnered with the Austin Monitor, Glasshouse Policy and A Functional Democracy to host a series of candidate forums this month. You can come out to the District 8 forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on La Crosse Avenue. RSVP .
Got questions for the candidates? Submit them below, and we may ask them at the forum.
_
