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Nicholas Virden
Nicholas Virden was a candidate for District 10 of the Austin City Council in Texas. He was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.[1]
Although city council elections in Austin are officially nonpartisan, Virden is known to be affiliated with libertarian organizations.[2]
Biography
Virden holds a B.B.A. in international business from the University of Texas, Austin. He has also studied web development at the coding training organization General Assembly and business administration and management at the University of Texas, San Antonio.[2]
As of his run for city council in 2016, Virden was a market analyst. His professional experience also includes work as a senior instructor for Third Coast Martial Arts, a market intelligence analyst for the real estate investment company Desarrollos Delta, an operations and technology intern for the Charles Koch Institute, and a legislative intern for the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate.[2][3]
Virden has served as a state chair for the libertarian organization Young Americans for Liberty and as president of its University of Texas, Austin, chapter. He was also the vice president of information management for the youth leadership organization AIESEC and a campus coordinator for the libertarian organization Students for Liberty.[2]
Campaign themes
2016
Virden participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Affordability.[4][5] | ” |
When asked what he would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | The draconian zoning and land-use laws that are driving up prices and economically and racially segregating Austin.[4][5] | ” |
When asked what he is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | It's commitment to the music scene.[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Civil rights | |
| Housing | |
| Transportation | |
| Government transparency | |
| Public pensions/retirement funds | |
| K-12 education | |
| Unemployment | |
| Environment | |
| Homelessness | |
| Crime reduction/prevention | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
| Recreational opportunities | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| Federal | |
| Increased economic opportunities | |
| The city should create a more competitive business climate by reducing regulatory and licensing barriers, reforming or repealing taxes where possible, and loosening or abolishing zoning restrictions to foster economic growth. |
Additional themes
Virden's 2016 campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Affordability PROPERTY TAXES District 10 residents are overburdened by an inefficient and unfriendly property tax system. Nick will fight for you at City Hall by implementing a 20% Homestead exemption. ZONING Today's current zoning system has failed to bring about affordability in Austin and CodeNEXT promises more of the same. We need to adopt a more Houston-like (flexible) approach to development that adapts to the needs of our growing population & diverse workforce. A more responsive, zoning-lite system will ensure an ample supply of affordable housing options for both current & future Austinites. Mobility PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Cap Metro perennially underserves Austinites. Previously a frequent rider while attending the University of Texas, Nick witnessed firsthand the inefficiency of a one-size-fits-all approach to public transportation. The Austin City Council should encourage competition between both Public & Private mass transit options to better serve the mobility needs of District 10 residents in particular and Austin residents at-large. RIDESHARING The majority of the City Council has proven that when it comes to transportation innovation, they prefer to take an "If it's not my idea, it's not a good idea" approach. A large portion of District 10 is not served by the limited supply of taxi cabs and Cap Metro buses effectively, so on-demand ride-sharing provides a reliable, safe, and affordable transportation option around town. Nick will fight to bring back the original, fair ride-sharing rules in addition to leveling the regulatory playing field by relaxing taxicab, chauffeur, and limousine regulations so that there can be more fare flexibility and a greater supply of transportation options for all Austinites. Tech Innovation The Austin City Council prove themselves to be hostile to innovation time & time again. Austin's vibrant startup community attracts the best and brightest minds and companies of the tech community from around the world. Nick is a staunch advocate of bringing technological innovation to the user-interface of government itself.[6][5] |
” |
Elections
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.[7] Incumbent Sheri P. Gallo and Alison Alter defeated Robert Atkins Walker and Nicholas Virden in the Austin City Council District 10 general election.[8]
| Austin City Council, District 10 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sheri P. Gallo Incumbent |
48.22% | 17,569 |
| 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 | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Nicholas Virden Austin. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Campaign website
- Social media:
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Austin, "Order of Place on the Ballot for General Election to Be Held on November 8, 2016," accessed September 29, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 LinkedIn, "Nick Virden," accessed September 30, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Nicholas Virden's Responses," October 5, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Nicholas Virden's Responses," October 5, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Virden for City Council District 10, "Platform," accessed September 30, 2016
- ↑ City of Austin, "City of Austin Election Calendar," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ City of Austin, "Ballot Applications - November 2016 Election," accessed August 23, 2016
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