Carmen Llanes Pulido

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Carmen Llanes Pulido

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Lyndon Baines Johnson High School

Bachelor's

University of Chicago

Personal

Birthplace

Austin, Texas

Religion

Nondenominational

Profession

Executive Director

Contact

Campaign website

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Personal Facebook

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Carmen Llanes Pulido ran for election for Mayor of Austin in Texas. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Llanes Pulido completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Carmen Llanes Pulido was born in Austin, Texas. She earned a high school diploma from Lyndon Baines Johnson High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago. Llanes Pulido also attended Duke University and Austin Community College. Her career experience includes working as an executive director, small business founder, nonprofit leader, community organizer. She also has career experience in the service industry and volunteer experience as an election judge.

Elections

2024

See also: Mayoral election in Austin, Texas (2024)

General election

General election for Mayor of Austin

Incumbent Kirk Watson defeated Carmen Llanes Pulido, Kathie Tovo, Jeffery Bowen, and Doug Greco in the general election for Mayor of Austin on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kirk Watson (Nonpartisan)	50.0	166,890
		Carmen Llanes Pulido (Nonpartisan)	20.4	68,042
		Kathie Tovo (Nonpartisan)	16.7	55,715
		Jeffery Bowen (Nonpartisan)	8.1	27,055
		Doug Greco (Nonpartisan)	4.7	15,768

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 333,470
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Llanes Pulido in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 13, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Carmen Llanes Pulido completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Llanes Pulido's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a second generation community organizer, nonprofit leader, and former city commissioner from Austin, Texas. I am running to bring new, accountable, and community-driven leadership to our local governance, learning the lessons of our past to adapt and reinvent Austin for the future without losing our values and what we love.

I bring a wealth of knowledge of municipal issues, a diverse network of connections from across the city, and broad relationships with existing city staff across many departments. Most importantly, I have a track record of bringing people together and listening to those directly impacted on multiple side of an issue, to craft sustainable solutions. I have worked with communities and the City of Austin to leverage tens of millions of dollars and make policy changes to support our housing, childcare systems, infrastructure, and basic services.

I am running for mayor because Austin deserves more transparent and better use of our spending for important services like public transportation, public safety, updated infrastructure that withstands the extreme weather ahead, and the protection and production of truly affordable housing. We've seen six violations of the Open Meetings Act and multiple lawsuits over police accountability and use of funds for public transit. It's time for transparent governance that leverages the expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and creativity of our population. We have tremendous challenges and opportunities ahead.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We must address Austin's high cost of living and income inequality, and take real measures to protect and produce truly affordable housing and protecting our quality of life. Our current administration has put deals with developers before the public, and recent policies have no on-site affordability requirements nor protection of existing affordable housing and the people who live in it. We need policies and funding allocations that create real housing opportunities for those with low and moderate incomes. I have a track record of collaborating with developers and neighbors to create hundreds of new units of truly affordable housing, and protecting the rights of tenants and homeowners as we negotiate new and sustainable development.
• We must update our critical infrastructure—including power and water—to insure our future quality of life as we grow and weather becomes more extreme. Instead of wasting tax dollars on expensive out-of-town consultants, we can instead address high rates, increase reliability, transition to cleaner energy, and protect our water supply by implementing recommendations from city staff, commissioners, and advocates. We can leverage and bring back utility elections to take control over our local public utilities. This administration, under the mayor's leadership, has attempted to permanently remove our ability to vote on our utilities; I'd bring back these elections and champion cost effective and sustainable solutions.
• Austinites have more in common than in disagreement, and effectie governance can get us out of the divisive courtroom battles and all-day divided hearings we have gotten caught up in for year. Austin can once again be a beacon of creativity and innovation. This intergenerational, multicultural, politically and geographically diverse campaign is representative of inclusivity and common sense. As mayor, I pledge to work with all Austinites, including and especially across differences in opinion, to craft solutions that lower our costs and improve our quality of life.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Responsible land use and community planning, critical infrastructure, climate resilience, affordable housing, childcare and early childhood development, cultural arts, public health (health behaviors), small business development, animal services.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Living: The Honorable Jackie Goodman. She served four terms elected at-large on our city council, under four different mayors. She never escalated in politics beyond the municipal because, "There was so much left to do." To me these are the words of a true public servant. I also hold Gus García in high esteem. He was a trailblazer as mayor and also maintained a lot of connections with community members as he advanced.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

-Accountability to constituents: build a relationship with a diverse network and be willing to listen to new perspectives.

-Ability to maintain dialogue across disagreements wherever possible.
Transparency about public investments
-Put public interests over political career interests
-Center directly impacted people from multiple sides of am issue.
-Coming into office, one should know a a sufficient amount about municipal policy to engage in public discourse about these policies.
-Ability to listen, apply knowledge, and negotiate from a perspective of interdependency is the most important set of soft skills of a policy maker can have.
-An elected official needs a strong internal and external support system and a robust network to increase awareness, capacity, and longevity of the elected official as a leader.
-An elected official should also be developing leadership of others, always.

-And, the ability to change one's mind and build an nuanced analysis over time.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a community organizer, and used to bringing different perspectives together to craft the best solution to move forward. I am from austin and have worked with very diverse communities here all over the city for the past twenty years. I bring useful energy but also a lot of intergenerational history to the work.And I have a lot of knowledge about municipal issues. I have the ability to connect with communities North, South, East, and West. I can end a lot of the division currently keeping a choke hold on progress at the municipal level, by bringing people from across the political spectrum, shared values and priorities for our municipal issues. I have a proven track record of getting things done, both at city hall and in the community and I would open the doors to technical experts both inside the city and outside within the communty.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Set the agenda and frame the conversation: this is the most important role of the mayor in council, work sessions and meetings. I believe that I could bring about an entirely different kind of negotiation and creative space with the current council, let alone a future council. There is so much pressure to go along to get along with the current mayor and I can see it stifling many of the creation native initiatives and critical eye of our council members. Spending is at an all time high, but public interest doesn't have much space for dialogue, and this is something we could significantly change.

The mayor also sets the tone with the city manager and has a strong working relationship. Of all of the candidates in this race, I have the closest working relationship with dozens of city departments. At nearly every level of government, we could reduce costs and increase efficiency by listening to some of our frontline and middle management leaders and community advocates. We need leadership that prioritizes basic services and equity in infrastructural updates and social programs. There are so many opportunities to leverage our local expenditures with private and federal dollars.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'd like to leave austin in a more sustainable place and more welcoming anf hospitable for longterm stay by the diverse communities that have made it so special. I'd like to revive our economy with greater aggregate demand meaning that more people are doing well and are able to spend their money at local businesses and invest in thriving culture.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember when Ann Richards was elected as governor of Texas because because we held a symbolic election in my elementary school. I was a month shy of six years old at the time and cast a kindergarten ballot.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I babysat and waited tables in several catering gigs from the age of fourteen, but these were very informal. My first real job (using my my social security number) was in a student, run coffee shop. I worked there for three years.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I heard it through the Grapevine by the California Raisins

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I was diagnosed with chronic myoloid leukemia at age twenty nine and have learned to live with a chronic illness and depend on health insurance. I have a great prognosis and expect to live a normal life, but it has given me a lot of perspective.

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

It means that the mayor should reflect the population in some respect, and have an appreciation for all of the differences in various communities that make up the city. It means that the leader of the city takes accountability in setting the agenda and framing the conversation and speaks up on behalf of our city on state issues and federal issues, while maintaining a clear focus on upholding the city charter, which is our local constitution. It means that this person takes a pledge to live a life of service to the city, putting personal interests aside in the general interest of the well being of our public. That means that this person will play a role in the history of our city, speak, and act on behalf of nearly one million people. It means that this position is one of great honor and requires deep listening to the constituents of Austin and a continuous "growing edge" of learning and improvement.

If the mayor in your city is a member of the city council and there's a city manager appointed to handle the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe should be the mayor's top priority in office?

The mayor's top priority should be setting an agenda that addresses all of the critical issues that need to be discussed in the public arena with respect to our basic services and city governance.
The mayor also serves a role of listening to the public and influencing the agenda accordingly. I would go in with an open mind, but I do know that some of our top priorities are securing and updating outdated infrastructure, especially in anticipation of extreme weather advance which are increasingly frequent. I would also immediately assess what we can fix in our land development code to better incentivize affordability and responsible development that reduces pressure on our local power grid and conserves water.

If the mayor in your city is not a member of the city council and oversees the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor and city council?

This is not applicable to our current structure of government.

What do you love most about your city?

The land and the unique people it attracts are by the most special things about this place. Some of my ancestors knew how special this place was over two thousand years ago when they sketched a map of all of the unique water holes in central texas, on a petroglyph outside of Comstock, Texas. There have been Tonkawa and Apache, Caddo and Cuahuilteca, eventually Comanche and Mexicans (and most of these are names given by Anglo settlers) and throughout, it has been clear that this place is special to many people and has been for as long as people have been roaming this area. Farmers, creatives, students, educators, entrepreneurs, government workers, and more have been attracted to this place for generations, and they continue to be attracted here. If austin protects our environment, affordability, and creative culture, we will continue to thrive economically and attract investment.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

1) More extreme weather events and our outdated infrastructure, combined with massive population growth and unregulated development, both inside and outside of the city.

2) Staggering income inequality and a very large housing-cost burdened population that is working far too many hours and barely making it inside the city.

3) politically ambitious governance that puts short term gains over long term planning

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

A greater degree of local control and fewer arguments in court and legislative sessions.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the federal government?

More influx of federal funding for infrastructure updates (including for water conservation and renewable energy) and deeply affordable housing.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor's office and law enforcement?

Candor and transparency are important, as is developing trust which takes time. I think that is important for the mayor's office to me. Et regularly with the police chief and the police union and to encourage public dialogue that brings up areas of concern and opportunity from all sides of each issue. Though we are settling a multi-year contract for a period of up to 5 years. I still think we can check-in periodically with our police department annually or more frequently, creating space for public meetings to address public safety issues together with community and staff at the table.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Julie Oliver

Hon. Gonzalo Barrientos
Inaugural Chief Equity Officer Brion Oaks
Inaugural Chief Environmental Offficer Katie Coyne
Better Austin Today
Austin United
Community Powered ATX

Indigenous Movement Crew

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

They are critical to efficacious, policy and implementation. This is one of the greatest weaknesses of our current administration and time of governance in Austin, Texas. Never have I seen six Texas Open Meetings Act violations in two years plus two additional lawsuits having to do with an unimplemented police accountability referendum and miss managed funding for public transit. On the contrary, we have so many opportunities to leverage our local investments and deliver results to the people of Austin. With regard to transit affordable housing, climate proved, infrastructure, meaning a reliable power and water supply and holistic solutions to our public safety and homelessness crisis. The answers and successful models are in front of us. I have worked shoulder to shoulder with austinites all over the city, to produce hundreds of new units of affordable housing, improve quality of life around neighborhoods and schools, reduce crime, support real affordable child care, and much more. We need a mayor who will secure our basic services, prioritize community driven solutions, and ensure responsible spending in our public investments.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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