AUSTIN, Texas — Both new and familiar faces have been elected to the Austin City Council.
- Natasha Harper Madison beat Mariana Salazar in District 1
- Pio Renteria defeats his sister, Susana Almanzar in District 3
- Paige Ellis defeats Frank Ward in District 8
District 1
Natasha Harper Madison defeated challenger Mariana Salazar in the runoff election after neither secured enough votes for the seat in the general election.
Early voting totals showed Harper Madison with a considerable lead.
District 3
Sabino "Pio" Renteria won re-election against his sister Susana Almanza for District 3.
This is almost a repeat of what happened in 2014 when the two went head-to-head for the District 3 seat. Councilmember Renteria also won that seat in a runoff.
District 8
Paige Ellis pulled off a victory in the closest race of the three runoffs.
She beat out the lone conservative, Frank Ward, who had received endorsements from the Austin police and fire unions.
Ellis has a background in environmental science and hopes to redirect council's focus on smart growth and density.
The winners will be sworn in for a four-year term early next month.