The Austin Bulldog

13/12/2024

Criminal charges possible in ethics complaints

After the City’s Ethics Review Commission held preliminary hearings Wednesday night, commissioners voted unanimously to find probable cause that both Ashika Ganguly and Krista Laine violated City Code by failing to timely file a Statement of Financial Information (SFI).
https://theaustinbulldog.org/criminal-charges-possible-in-ethics-complaints/

11/12/2024

Adam Haynes has filed a sworn ethics complaint against District 7 runoff candidate Mike Siegel. And another sworn ethics complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission against AURA for Austin, which has been hosting events, organizing block walking, and other activities in support of Siegel’s campaign.

Adam Haynes on December 10th filed a 19-page sworn complaint against District 7 runoff candidate Mike Siegel with the Austin City Clerk for consideration by the Ethics Review Commission. He also filed a 30-page sworn complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission about AURA for Austin, concerning its po...

09/12/2024

For a seasoned political reporter, dirty politics seems like fun because it provides so much fodder for juicy stories. And there’s plenty of juice in today’s story about the attacks being suffered by Mike Siegel.

Dirty politics trying to tip the scales in the final throes of the District 7 runoff between Gary Bledsoe and Mike Siegel

District 7 has 71,240 registered voters eligible to cast ballots in the December 14th runoff, Tiffany Seward, communications division director in the Travis County Tax Office, told the Bulldog December 5th. District 7 voters cast 34,353 ballots in the November 5th general election for six candidates...

08/12/2024

Two attorney’s battling for District 7

Either Gary Bledsoe or Mike Siegel will take office in January and join fellow attorneys Mayor Kirk Watson, District 4 Council Member Jose “Chito” Vela, and District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter. Which one depends on the outcome of the December 14th election.

Either Gary Bledsoe or Mike Siegel will take office in January and join fellow attorneys Mayor Kirk Watson, District 4 Council Member Jose “Chito” Vela, and District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter. Which one depends on the outcome of the December 14th election. District 7 voters aren’t going to d...

07/12/2024

Bledsoe stumping for runoff support
Runoff candidates are down to the wire for the December 14th runoff election which will decide who represents District 7 on the City Council in 2025.

Editor’s note: In assigning coverage of this event the Bulldog offered the same opportunity to Bledsoe’s opponent, Mike Siegel, and his campaign manager. We have received no response. It may not rain much in Austin, but on Wednesday night, December 4th, a group of about 50 supporters squeezed...

03/12/2024

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27/11/2024

District 7 candidate Gary Bledsoe got $62,000-plus from the Austin Fair Campaign Fund for his runoff against opponent Mike Siegel.

District 7 runoff candidate Gary Bledsoe has something extra to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The City of Austin answered the Bulldog’s request for how much money was in the Austin Fair Campaign Fund and when will it be disbursed to the Bledsoe campaign. Media Relations Specialist Senior Eri...

18/11/2024

Once again only the bare minimum six members were available to participate. Once again the commission’s bylaws—which require at least six votes to pass a motion—combined with the low attendance prevented resolving the business at hand.
https://theaustinbulldog.org/mayor-watsons-ethics-complaint-hearing-stalled/
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It was a case of déjà vu all over again. Once again the City’s Ethics Review Commission meeting didn’t start until a half-hour after its scheduled 6pm starting time. Why? Because it was waiting for at least six members to establish a quorum. As the Bulldog reported, the same thing happened J...

23/10/2024

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18/10/2024

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11/10/2024

Reaching voters, one car at a time. mayoral candidate Carmen Llanes Pulido and volunteers took her campaign to the streets.

“I think this might have been a collective idea from a number of volunteers and organizers,” Carmen Llanes Pulido said with a smile as cars, cyclists, e-scooter riders, and tourists whizzed across the Congress Bridge. “Today we’re going to get into the minds and hearts of everybody who’s s...

10/10/2024

Five candidates for mayor of Austin mixed it up at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters Austin Area. Catch our report on the debate at

Austin City Hall hosted a live audience of about 25 people for an October 3rd Mayoral Candidate Forum sponsored by the Austin League of Women Voters, which included all five candidates. The event was moderated by Candidate Forum Chair Carol Eckelkamp of the League of Women Voters Austin Area. The sp...

07/10/2024

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30/09/2024

Travis Central Appraisal District’s Board of Directors on September 5th committed a blatant violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act. The board voted 7-1 to countersue 23 Travis County property owners without disclosing their names. https://theaustinbulldog.org/tcad-okayed-suing-23-property-owners-and-tried-to-conceal-their-names/

27/09/2024

Ethics complaints against Mayor Kirk Watson & challenger Doug Greco will go to a final hearing Oct. 23rd. Ethics Review Commission found reasonable grounds exist that both accepted out-of-town contributions in excess of the $46,000 allowed.

“No candidate and his or her committee shall accept an aggregate contribution total of more than $30,000.00 per election, and $20,000.00 in the case of a runoff election, from sources other than natural persons eligible to vote in a postal zip code completely or partially within the Austin city li...

25/09/2024

Travis County commissioners yesterday approved Central Health's $888.8 million budget for FY 2025. But they want more accountability for the $35 million a year that goes to Dell Medical School without getting healthcare services for indigents. https://theaustinbulldog.org/commissioners-want-35-million-a-year-affiliation-agreement-renegotiated/

23/09/2024

Mirror mirror on the wall, who are the richest mayoral candidates of all? Our story tells all. Plus it provides access to 400 pages of financial statements filed by mayor and council candidates. It exposes the 12 candidates who failed to file reports about their personal finances as required by City Code and state law.

“It is the policy of the City that the proper operation of democratic government requires that public officials and employees be independent, impartial and responsible to the people; that governmental decisions and policy be made in proper channels of the governmental structure; that public office...

16/09/2024

District 10 council candidate Marc Duchen, 46, made the case for why voters should choose him over his opponent, Ashika Lekha Ganguly, 29, whom he criticizes as not quite ready for the job. Read what he told supporters and what they had to say about him.

To the sound of about 25 supporters singing “Happy Birthday,” Austin City Council candidate for District 10 Marc Duchen celebrated his 46th trip around the sun September 4th at the 5280 Burger Bar in Northwest Austin. The mood was upbeat as Marc’s father David, who had driven in from Houston...