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Alison Alter

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Alison Alter
Image of Alison Alter
Prior offices
Austin City Council District 10
Successor: Marc Duchen

Education

Bachelor's

Stanford University

Graduate

Harvard University

Ph.D

Harvard University

Personal
Profession
Philanthropy consultant
Contact

Alison Alter was a member of the Austin City Council in Texas, representing District 10. She assumed office on January 6, 2017. She left office on January 6, 2025.

Alter ran for re-election to the Austin City Council to represent District 10 in Texas. She won in the general runoff election on December 15, 2020.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Alter earned a B.A. in public policy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in political economy and government from Harvard University.[1]

As of her run for city council in 2016, Alter operated her own philanthropy advising company, Alter Advising. Her professional experience also includes work as managing director of the Global Initiative for Education and Leadership at the University of Texas, Austin; director of strategic planning for the Dell Social Innovation Challenge; development director for the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters; associate director of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy; and assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.[2]

She has also served as the chair of the WE LOVE RAMSEY PARK renovation campaign, the District 10 representative to the Parks and Recreation Board, and a member of the Rosedale Neighborhood Association Steering Committee and the Parks and Recreation Board's Land, Facilities & Programs Committee.[1]

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in Austin, Texas (2020)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Austin City Council District 10

Incumbent Alison Alter defeated Jennifer Virden in the general runoff election for Austin City Council District 10 on December 15, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alison Alter
Alison Alter (Nonpartisan)
 
51.3
 
12,480
Image of Jennifer Virden
Jennifer Virden (Nonpartisan)
 
48.7
 
11,824

Total votes: 24,304
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for Austin City Council District 10

The following candidates ran in the general election for Austin City Council District 10 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alison Alter
Alison Alter (Nonpartisan)
 
34.2
 
15,640
Image of Jennifer Virden
Jennifer Virden (Nonpartisan)
 
25.4
 
11,637
Pooja Sethi (Nonpartisan)
 
18.1
 
8,295
Image of Robert Thomas
Robert Thomas (Nonpartisan)
 
16.6
 
7,599
Belinda Greene (Nonpartisan)
 
3.0
 
1,364
Image of Ben Easton
Ben Easton (Nonpartisan)
 
1.9
 
847
Noel Tristan (Nonpartisan)
 
0.9
 
390

Total votes: 45,772
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Municipal elections in Austin, Texas (2016)

The city of Austin, Texas, held elections for city council on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 22, 2016. Five of the ten city council seats were up for election.[3] Alison Alter defeated incumbent Sheri P. Gallo in the Austin City Council District 10 runoff election.[4]

Austin City Council, District 10 Runoff Election, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Alison Alter 63.97% 9,481
Sheri P. Gallo Incumbent 36.03% 5,339
Total Votes 14,820
Source: Travis County Clerk, "December 13, 2016 Official Cumulative Results," December 21, 2016
See also: Municipal elections in Austin, Texas (2016)

The city of Austin, Texas, held elections for city council on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 22, 2016. Five of the ten city council seats were up for election.[5] Incumbent Sheri P. Gallo and Alison Alter defeated Robert Atkins Walker and Nicholas Virden in the Austin City Council District 10 general election.[4]

Austin City Council, District 10 General Election, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Sheri P. Gallo Incumbent 48.22% 17,569
Green check mark transparent.png Alison Alter 35.52% 12,943
Robert Atkins Walker 14.10% 5,137
Nicholas Virden 2.15% 785
Total Votes 36,434
Source: "Travis County", "Travis County Election Results", accessed November 8, 2016

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Alison Alter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Alter's 2016 campaign website highlighted the following goals:

Represent You at the City of Austin:

I will represent you and be your voice. I won’t allow special interests to write the rules and tie the city in knots

Make City Hall Work for You:

I will hold City Hall accountable to you, my constituents, and to all our citizens and improve transparency and ensure your participation.

Manage Growth:

I will make growth pay for itself and negotiate from our position of strength. Traffic and high taxes are a result of growth not paying for itself.

Keep Austin Beautiful:

I will fight for more parks and green space and protect our environment and quality of life.

Invest in Education:

I advocate for the reform of state funding formulas to keep a bigger share of our local school dollars. I will champion out of school time and early childhood services.

Get Austin Moving:

I will actively support cost effective transportation solutions that improve mobility in Austin. Traffic snarls diminish our quality of life, degrade our environment and cost us time and money.[6][7]

Endorsements

2016

Alter received endorsements from the following in 2016:

  • Austin Environmental Democrats[8]
  • Stonewall Democrats of Austin[9]
  • West Austin Democrats[10]

See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
-
Austin City Council District 10
2017-2025
Succeeded by
Marc Duchen