Mayor Kirk Watson

Let's all take a moment today to honor our veterans. One of my favorite memories was volunteering as an Honor Flight guardian a few years ago. These flights are pretty special. They’re an opportunity for people to express the gratitude they have for our veterans, and these trips also keep their stories alive.  Last year, as a part of Honor Flight Austin’s 100th flight, I helped send off 62 Vietnam combat veterans to Washington, D.C. It was a really special moment I wrote about in a Watson Wire. Thank you to all of our veterans and their families for the service and their sacrifice. Pictured: From last years Honor Flight Austin send off.

I'm honored that Lt. Governor-elect @VikkiGoodwinTX has asked me to serve as a co-chair of her transition team. I spent many years serving in the Texas Senate, and I know the institution, its traditions, its people, and what it takes to get things done. I know that the Senate is at its best when all of its members are able to exercise independent judgment while working together to deliver results for the people of Texas. This is a historic moment for our state. It's also an opportunity to demonstrate that divided government doesn't have to mean dysfunctional government. We can have strong convictions, genuine disagreements, and still find ways to make progress. That's what Texans want. As Austin Mayor and a former state senator, I am grateful for this opportunity to bring a perspective from both sides of the Capitol's relationship with Texas cities. Our cities are where so much of what state government does becomes real in people's daily lives. When the state gives cities the authority, tools, and resources to meet their responsibilities—and cities deliver results with discipline and accountability—every Texan benefits. I'm looking forward to working with Lt. Governor-elect Goodwin, senators from both parties, and leaders across Texas to build productive partnerships and help make this next legislative session a successful one. Texas has an opportunity to govern differently. Let's make the most of it.

Latest #WatsonWire: It’s time to start the process to get rail to the airport. For years, our Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA or AUS) operated beyond the capacity it was originally designed to accommodate. That’s a sign of success, and a reminder that we can’t build Austin’s future relying on infrastructure designed for its past. We need to envision a successful future and prepare for it. The “Journey With AUS” expansion project is delivering significant improvements in building the kind of airport a growing, globally connected city like Austin needs for decades to come. As we build a better airport, we also need to think about how we’re going to get people there to catch their flights and how to get them out of there to participate in our city. A world-class airport needs a multimodal, world-class transportation system to connect to it. Sure, we need to improve roadway access. And we also should give people more choices about how they travel. We need to have the same long-term vision for Austin light rail that we’ve had for ABIA. An airport rail connection has been part of Austin’s long-term transportation vision for years. With Journey with AUS, we have a chance to plan these projects strategically rather than trying to connect them after the fact. Until now, Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) has appropriately prioritized navigating the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) process for phase 1 of our system. This year, ATP received the important Record of Decision (ROD) from FTA and completed, in record time, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for phase 1. In addition to getting the ROD and completing the NEPA process, I’ve wanted all major design and construction contracts in place and assurance that all of our financial decision-making is guided by a financial stewardship protocol before ATP takes any other big next steps. We have the ROD, the NEPA process is complete, the major contracts are in place, and the financial stewardship protocol is being followed. With these important milestones met, we can now take a major step: ATP will start the planning activities for a potential extension to take Austin light rail all the way to the airport. Read more: bit.ly/TrainWire

Latest #WatsonWire: This election sent a message about what people expect from their government. People are tired of partisan rhetoric. They’re tired of empty promises and finger pointing. When people across this city, state, and country are struggling to provide for their families— they want elected officials to listen and get things done. Real solutions for real people to real problems. That’s the message from Tuesday’s results. I look forward to working with our new state leadership. Texas’ biggest cities represent one third of our state’s population. We’re the economic engine of this state. We attract the businesses and people that keep Texas a focal point in the worldwide economy. We keep Texas on the cutting edge of energy innovation, higher education, medicine, manufacturing, and research. When cities win— Texas wins. That’s because Texas is the sum of its component parts, including its diverse cities. Read more: bit.ly/BigCityMayor Pictured: My contact photo for the Governor-elect.

Last night's election results send an important message about what Austinites expect from their government. People are worried about rising costs. They’re worried about being able to afford to live and provide for their families. They’re tired of only rhetoric. They want their elected officials to listen and want them to get real stuff done that has a real impact in their daily lives. Austinites also voted last night for continued investment in the things that make our city special, including our parks, libraries, and public spaces. The lesson we can and should take from the voters is that we can be an ambitious city and a disciplined city. In fact, we need to be both. Since returning to the Mayor's Office in 2023, I've focused on stabilizing basic City operations, restoring public trust, and making sure local government is a good steward of taxpayer money. We've made substantial progress, and the election results reflect this progress. Our responsibility now is to deliver the projects effectively, efficiently, and with careful stewardship of taxpayer money. The vote on Proposition I is also important. Earlier this year, I proposed and the City Council adopted an ordinance establishing a comprehensive, recurring, independent efficiency assessment of City government. That work is already underway. I believe strongly in this approach because it is designed to identify opportunities for greater efficiency and effectiveness throughout City government and establish a continuing practice of improvement. Voters rejected Proposition I. But I don’t believe they rejected a desire for good stewardship. Our commitment to that work must not and will not change. The need for accountability and financial discipline doesn't depend on an election result. It's a fundamental responsibility of good government, and it makes a fundamental difference in how our residents experience our city. And the goal isn't simply to conduct an audit. The goal is to make government work better. This election gives us that opportunity to make a real difference for real people in the real world. Austin can continue to be an ambitious city. But the greater our ambitions, the greater our obligation to demonstrate that we're governing responsibly. Last night's results remind us that investment and discipline must go hand in hand. That's the approach I've advocated, and it's the approach I'll continue to pursue.

I’m so happy for @GinaHinojosaTX and for Texas. She ran a great campaign and will be a great Governor. It’s exciting that she will be leading our state. I’m looking forward to working with her for a positive future for Texas and our cities.

This is a bellwether moment. Voters have spoken. They’re tired of partisan rhetoric. They’re tired of empty promises and finger pointing. They want real solutions to real problems. Congratulations to my friend @jamestalarico. He will make Texans proud.

This week, I visited @StLouiseHouse, a wonderful organization dedicated to making sure women and their children successfully move out of homelessness and into stability. They provide housing and wraparound services that meet the individualized needs of the folks they serve. The people who work at Saint Louise House are devoted to serving others. Thank you for inviting me to learn more about your work.

Latest #WatsonWire: When a Plan Works. In 2011, I challenged our community to set ten big goals primarily related and rooted in health care. The idea was to bring together the assets we already had, including medical resources, philanthropic capacity, the research strength of our hometown public university, and the will of this community to create something we didn't have: a medical school, a modern, 21st Century teaching and safety net hospital, uniquely Austin clinics, set Austin up to be a center for comprehensive cancer care, and a new approach to brain health. At the time, I was hopeful that the community would embrace the vision I had and that all these goals could be achieved. We did it. We’re at another important moment in Austin’s history. Successful cities don’t just build hospitals or even medical centers. Successful cities build great childhoods. That’s the next frontier, our next chapter: How do we make sure that child well-being is central to who we are as a city? How do we make sure our kids are healthy, safe, and happy? Generation ATX is my initiative to make Austin the best place in America to be a kid. Read more: bit.ly/Wirethatworks Photo credit: Statesman. September 21, 2011 // Austin Healthcare Council

Thank you to everyone who joined Dr. Angela Duckworth and me last night for our GenATX conversation on her new book Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best. It’s wonderful to see so many people who want to be involved in making Austin the best place in America to be a kid. Dr. Duckworth and I talked about how the environment and the people we surround ourselves with shape who we become, and what that means for our children. Many of you know that over the next five years, I want us to create the environment--I want Austin to be a city--in which our children are situated so they can be Healthy, Safe, Happy and Successful. Whether that means making sure a family gets the support it needs, a child who finds a place to belong, a young person who meets someone who helps them see a future they hadn’t imagined— it’s important that the next chapter of this City is focused on our young people. Learn more: GenATX.com Follow our page on Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/genatx/…

No Wrong Door is important, worth moving forward, and worth protecting. That is what this Council is doing. We have people in this community who are cycling through systems that aren’t working for them. They end up on our streets, in an emergency room, in a mental health crisis, in jail—and usually for longer than they should be. They end up back on the street. Back in an emergency room. Sometimes back in jail. That’s not success. And I don’t think we should call it compassion or positive progressive policy simply because we’re reluctant to intervene differently. No Wrong Door starts with a pretty basic insight: these problems don’t fit neatly inside the boxes we’ve created in government. A person in crisis, a person who has significant mental illness, doesn’t become a different human being depending on whether the person standing in front of them happens to be a paramedic, a mental health professional, a homeless service provider, or a police officer. The whole point is to connect those systems so that whichever door someone enters, we have a better chance of getting that person where they need to go, the help they need, the care to help them get better. And the early results of No Wrong Door show success. They give us reason to keep going. Full remarks: bit.ly/NWDATX More information about No Wrong Door: lnkd.in/gQE5jBcK

Latest #WatsonWire: Last month, I wrote about the difficult position facing Austin ISD generally, and the families of Webb and Burnet Middle Schools specifically. I explained why I oppose a state takeover, why accountability matters, and why parents should have a voice in determining what happens next. En Español El mes pasado escribí sobre la difícil situación que enfrenta el Distrito Escolar Independiente de Austin en general, y las familias de las escuelas secundarias Webb y Burnet en particular. Expliqué por qué me opongo a que el estado intervenga, por qué la rendición de cuentas es importante y por qué los padres deben tener voz en la decisión de qué sucederá a continuación. Read more // Sigue leyendo: bit.ly/WireAISD2

Good news for all the good boys and good girls: the @AustinAirport's pet relief area is open for potty business. Sugar Bear broke the seal yesterday with an inaugural potty break and got to tour some of the newest additions in the new Westgate Expansion. Learn more: flyaustin.com/expansion-deve…