Filing Deadline Passes for Austin Council Can­di­dates

AUSTIN, Texas -- Monday at 5 p.m. was the deadline for candidates to file for Austin City Council's November election. The City Clerk received a total of 14 ballot applications for the five City Council seats up for election.

In 2014, Austin switched to its new 10-one system and saw a total of 78 candidates enter the 11 races. In order to stagger the new four-year terms, five City Council Members drew marbles that gave them two-year terms. Those first terms do not count toward their two-term limit, so they could effectively serve for a total of 10 years if each incumbent retains their position in November.

Council seats up in November include District 2 in far Southeast Austin, District 4 in Central and North Austin, District 6 in Northwest Austin, District 7 in Central and North Austin, and District 10 in West and Northwest Austin.

District 2

Delia Garza is running for re-election. She faces Wesley Faulkner, who is a social media manager, and Casey Ramos, a professional boxer.

District 4

Incumbent Greg Casar is up against Louis Herrin, III, a civil engineer. Both were in the 2014 election. Both were in the race two years ago; Herrin came in seventh place out of eight candidates. Gonzalo Camacho, an engineer, is also in the District 4 race.

District 6

The matchup in District Six is a repeat of the December 2014 runoff. Web developer Jimmy Flannigan is trying to unseat Don Zimmerman. A total of 191 votes separated the two in 2014. Zimmerman won Travis County, while Flannigan prevailed in the Williamson County portion of District Six.

District 7

District Seven includes incumbent Leslie Pool. She is up against Natalie Gauldin, who is a technical writer and District Seven native.

District 10

Four candidates are in the race for District 10. Sheri Gallo is vying to keep her seat. She's up against philanthropic advisor Alison Alter, market analyst Nicholas Virden and CPA Rob Walker.

Tuesday, the City Clerk will draw names out of a hopper to determine where candidate names will appear on the ballot. Early voting starts in just about two months.