Natalie Gauldin

Natalie Gauldin

Personal

Profession

Technical writer and tech trainer

Contact

Personal website

Natalie Gauldin was a candidate for District 7 of the Austin City Council in Texas. She was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Although city council elections in Austin are officially nonpartisan, Gauldin is known to be affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Biography

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

Gauldin attended the University of Texas, Austin.

As of her run for city council in 2016, Gauldin was a technical writer and tech trainer. Her professional experience also includes work as a teacher and an employee of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

Gauldin is a cofounder of Friends of the Grove, an organization that supports the mixed-use development project The Grove at Shoal Creek.

Campaign themes

2016

Gauldin's 2016 campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“

Affordability Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. However, the population influx also poses a public policy and affordability problem. Supply is dramatically outpaced by demand, and the City of Austin has done little to alleviate this problem. Austinites need more options if they want to stay in the neighborhoods they love. By prohibiting the development of a wide variety of housing types in the city core, Austin’s middle and lower income residents are forced to live further and further away from the city than ever before, increasing their dependence on automobiles and contributing to ever-worsening traffic gridlock. Sadly, this also means that those who most need city transportation services such as bus and rail are the least likely to have access to it. Families are also suffering from the increasing costs of childcare in Austin. In 2015, the Economic Policy Institute released a study that showed, on average, costs associated with child care services in Texas exceeded annual tuition for four-year public universities. City Council needs to take concrete steps to ease the financial burden on young working families struggling to pay for childcare services. Current Austin District 7 City Council Member, Leslie Pool, has fought for years to maintain outdated regulations at the expense of affordability to the rest of District 7 and the City of Austin. Pool’s decisions ignore the needs of the vast majority of District 7 and solely focus on her own personal agenda. Natalie believes these restrictive policies need to end. By removing outdated and unnecessary building restrictions such as limiting accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and minimum lot sizes, to increasing city funding for affordable children’s summer camps and after-school programs offered by the Parks and Recreation Department, Natalie will fight to make District 7 more affordable for all.

”

“

Transportation Transportation in Austin is a challenge, including District 7. Whether one drives, bikes, walks, or uses public transit, there are serious gaps in getting Austin residents from point A to point B. Mayor Adler’s $720 million 'Go Big Corridor' transportation bond on the ballot this November is an important step City Council has taken towards easing traffic congestion in Austin. But it will not end roadway congestion in Austin. Natalie believes City Council should increase access to public transit throughout the city, give Capital Metro transit systems traffic advantages to shorten average commute times, and do more to encourage residents to use other forms of transportation when commuting to work. Austin’s bike and sidewalk network are severely under-constructed. Major gaps in Austin’s sidewalk network create an unsafe environment for its pedestrians. Building out the city’s bicycle master plan and sidewalk master plan will allow citizens to be able to get just about anywhere in the city in a safe and easy manner. Natalie plans to prioritize increasing the funds allocated to these needs. We cannot rely on bonds alone to make these critical improvements. By working to expand and improve Austin’s alternative transportation options, Natalie believes everyone in the city will benefit. With more people riding transit, sharing rides, biking, and walking, getting around town will be easier, residents will spend less time in traffic, and we will have played a major role in ensuring Austin’s environment stays healthy and beautiful for generations to come.

”

“

Community Austin’s District 7 spans a large and diverse portion of the city. It includes parts of Tech Ridge, The Domain, Burnet and Lamar Corridors, as well as many other unique parts of Austin. The community of District 7 is as culturally diverse as it is geographically, so diversity of opinion also needs to be respected at Austin City Hall. It’s clear Austin struggles with transportation and affordability, but while the city continues to grow and change, Natalie believes Austin can still maintain the character of this city, including its natural beauty and greenspace, active lifestyle, entrepreneurial and tech-focused business spirit, and of course the renowned live music scene. However, District 7 has been under-represented and the voice of the few dictate all of District 7 policy priorities. Natalie will fight for all of District 7 and will ensure the needs of all of its constituents are heard. Natalie believes city leadership should consistently engage with our diverse community in order to better understand the priorities of all parts of District 7, including working to maintain its middle-class character and creating more housing and transportation options.

”

Gauldin also made the following statement to Ballotpedia regarding her political philosophy:

“

Natalie’s vision is for an affordable, connected and well-developed community. Her leadership is driven through the belief that all Austinites deserve a share in Austin’s unique culture of opportunity, innovative spirit and individual freedom, and Natalie is the candidate to take District 7 to new heights through representation of her communities. Natalie understands that rapidly rising costs of housing and longer commutes make it stressful and challenging for residents. District 7 needs a leader who understands the average resident and will work effectively with other City Council members to focus on improving the quality of life of all Austinites. Natalie Gauldin will take bold action and move District 7 forward.

”

Elections

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. Incumbent Leslie Pool defeated Natalie Gauldin in the Austin City Council District 7 general election.

Austin City Council, District 7 General Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Leslie Pool Incumbent	71.95%	21,411
Natalie Gauldin	28.05%	8,346
Total Votes		29,757
Source: "Travis County", "Travis County Election Results", accessed November 8, 2016

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Natalie is a member of the bicycling advocacy group Bike Austin. She and her husband have one daughter.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Natalie Gauldin Austin. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Natalie Gauldin - Google News

See also

• Austin, Texas
• Municipal elections in Austin, Texas (2016)
• United States municipal elections, 2016

External links

• Campaign website
• Social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter