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Chris Riley (Texas)
Chris Riley is a former member of the Austin City Council in Texas. He served on the council from 2009 to 2015.[1]
In 2014, Riley was a candidate for the newly created District 9 seat on the Austin City Council, but he withdrew from the race on November 7, 2014. In regards to his withdraw from the race, he made the following statement: "I remain dedicated to the ideals and policies I’ve championed, and I feel there is a path to victory in the runo-ff. But I also feel that, as we begin this new era with a new council, a contest that creates negativity and division is not how we should set the tone for Austin going forward. I would rather work together with Kathie and with the new council members, as an advocate, to solve the challenges we face."[2]
Biography
Riley was born in Austin, Texas. He obtained a B.A. in economics from Harvard University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. His professional experience includes working as an attorney at the Texas Supreme Court and at the Rusk Law Firm.[1]
Campaign themes
2014
On his campaign website, Riley highlighted the following issues:[3]
Transportation
- Excerpt: "It’s the No. 1 concern of many Austinites. We know we need better options as a region, and we can’t pave our way out of regional traffic congestion. The people of District 9 show Austin a better way every day — a real multi-modal system that offers meaningful options to every traveler for every trip, whether that’s walking, biking, transit, car sharing, or driving your own car. Chris Riley has been a leader who’s taken strong stands in favor of transportation choices for all of Austin."
Affordability
- Excerpt: "As Austin continues its rapid growth, it’s crucial that we continue to offer residents affordable places to live in quality neighborhoods. Chris Riley has been a leader on the City Council to provide subsidized housing options for low-income Austinites and combat homelessness with supportive housing."
Sustainability
- Excerpt: "A thriving, active and dense central city is the best way for Austin to live up to its environmental values and deliver on its commitment to sustainability. The single most important thing we can do to manage our limited water resources, reduce our emissions and carbon footprint, and make clean transportation viable is to allow our city to grow up and within instead of out."
Elections
2014
- See also: Austin, Texas municipal elections, 2014.
The city of Austin held elections for city council on November 4, 2014. The candidate filing deadline was August 18, 2014. Because of redistricting and term limits, there was no incumbent for District 9.[4] The candidates were Erin K. McGann, Chris Riley and Kathie Tovo.[5] Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the general election, the top two vote-getters - Tovo and Riley - were scheduled to meet in a runoff election on December 16, 2014. On November 7, 2014, however, Riley withdrew from the race, leaving Tovo unchallenged for the District 9 seat.[6][7]
| Austin City Council, District 9, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Kathie Tovo |
49.1% | 10,041 | |
| Chris Riley |
40.4% | 8,258 | |
| Erin K. McGann | 10.5% | 2,149 | |
| Total Votes | 20,448 | ||
| Source: Travis County Clerk - 2014 Official Election Results | |||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Chris + Riley + Austin"
- All stories may not be relevant due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 City of Austin, "Biography," accessed August 13, 2014
- ↑ Austin Chronicle, "Breaking: Chris Riley Withdraws From Run-off," November 7, 2014
- ↑ Chris for Austin, "Issues," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ City of Austin, "2014 Election Calendar," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ City of Austin, "2014 Candidate List," accessed September 4, 2014
- ↑ Austin Chronicle, "Breaking: Chris Riley Withdraws From Run-off," November 7, 2014
- ↑ Travis County Clerk, "2014 Unofficial Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
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