[Music].

>> The new form of government
taking shape at City Hall and

every seat up for grabs, Austin
voters elected two new City

Council Members on November 4th
and sent 16 Council candidates

plus two vying for Austin
mayor to run-off elections.

Tonight, Beyond the Rhetoric.

We asked the remaining
candidates what makes them the

right person to lead their
district and our city.

[Music playing].

>> Support for Civic
Summit comes from Google,

a global technology leader
focused on improving the ways

people connect with information
and also by Texas Mutual

Insurance, providing workers'
compensation for Texas

employers.

[Music playing].

>> Hello, and thanks for
joining us for Civic Summit.

City Council run-off
conversation District 10,

a joint production of
KLRU Leadership Austin,

KUT and the Annette Strauss
Institute for Civic Life.

I'm Michael Kanin, publisher
of the Austin Monitor.

Our discussion tonight will
focus on leadership and will be

sort of like a job interview.

We want to know what skills and
qualities each candidate would

bring to Austin City Hall.

For the next 30 minutes, I'll be
speaking with candidates in the

running to represent
District 10.

Mandy Dealey and Sheri Gallo.

If you'd like to join the
conversation on Twitter,

please use #CivicSummitD10.

District 10 is in West Austin,
stretches north to 183 and south

to Lady Bird Lake.

It includes all of the
neighborhoods west of MoPac and

part of Rosedale, east of MoPac.

Most of its western border
is in the county boundaries.

Mandy Dealey is a long-time
community advocate.

She's worked on six
City of Austin Boards,

Commissions and
Tasks -- Task Forces,

and she has chaired or vice
chaired a number of them.

She is also involved with the
board of -- with the board of a

number of community
organizations.

Sheri Gallo is a real estate
broker and small business owner.

She chaired the City of Austin
Housing Authority and has been a

resident of Austin
for over 50 years.

Thanks both of you before
being here tonight.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> First question, which we
shared with both of you before

tonight, what have you learned
about yourself over the last

four months of campaigning and
-- that will help you govern?

Mandy, you go first.

>> Thank you.

Well, first of all, let me just
say thank you for having this

tonight.

I appreciate the opportunity.

At this point in my life, I
think I know myself pretty well.

I've done a lot of introspection
and think I know myself;

but really, what I remembered
about myself is that,

I love community service.

It is absolutely my passion and
the opportunity to get involved

again with the issues that are
so important, talk about them,

explain them to
voters and Austinites,

has really been exciting
and I have loved doing it.

>> Sheri.

>> And thank you, once again,
for allowing us to be here and

-- and giving people an
opportunity to, once again,

look at the candidates and
-- and hear their voices.

It's been an
interesting process.

I've -- I've always thought
of myself as a people person.

I'm in real estate.

My business for the last 35
years has been finding and

helping people get into homes,
and you do that as connecting

with people.

But what I have been amazed with
is, how much I really, really,

really enjoy doing that.

The connection with people and
the ability to be accessible and

let them know that you will
listen to them and talk to them,

I think that is one of the
leadership qualities that's

really important for this
district-type of leadership;

and over and over again, from
going to the football games,

passing out our bubbles,
going to the school carnivals,

just walking neighborhoods, it's
really -- it's really expanding

on that connection that I've --
I've enjoyed so much and really

been proud of myself for.

>> Okay.

>> Thank you.

>> We're going to start
with a hypothetical, here.

There is pressure
on the Council,

as a whole -- as a whole, to
increase the budget for public

safety because of an increase in crime in two of the ten districts.

Your district hasn't
been directly affected,

but you're feeling pressure from
neighborhood groups to lobby for

increased evening patrol.

How will you work with APD to
decide which districts get more

officers?

That means delivering unwanted
news back to your district,

how we communicate that
to your constituents.

Sheri, you first.

>> So I hear two
questions there.

First of all, the public safety
budget is a large portion of the

general fund budget.

I think that you learn by
asking questions of the experts.

So I would want to ask questions
and listen to the people at APD

and understand where they feel
like the resources need to be

and communicate that back to my
-- to my neighborhoods and my

community.

I think it's important, also,
to encourage people to become

responsible for being assistants
with the -- the police

department.

I think they need to be ears and
eyes out in their neighborhoods.

We need to help them
learn how to do that,

be comfortable to do that, but
-- but it's a responsibility

that we as citizens have, too.

We can't just depend on
the police force entirely.

We have to take
responsibility ourselves.

Going back to the neighborhood
with information that perhaps is

what they don't want to hear.

You know, I think it goes
back to communicating,

and I think if you built a
relationship with your district

and with the people in
the communities and the

neighborhoods in that district,
and they know you're honest and

they know you're thoughtful
and that you listen to their

concerns.

It's like being a parent
that delivers bad news,

you have to do it and it's
your responsibility to do it,

but if there is a trusting
relationship that goes with

that, I think it makes
it much easier to do.

>> Okay.

Mandy?

>> Much along the same lines.

I think that it's --
well, first of all,

I have a really good
relationship with public safety

entities.

But it really is almost a matter
of working with the city manager

to direct the police in public
safety entities to -- to do

their work.

It's not so much
a Council matter.

So the important thing would be
to work with the city manager to

make sure that APD is doing its
job and is putting patrolmen and

officers where they need to be.

District 10 has been fortunate
in that we don't have the kind

of really major crimes that
a lot of the districts do,

but we have seen a huge increase
in property crimes and making

sure that there are patrols that
will help watch out for that,

encouraging community policing,
and for neighbors to watch out

for each other is really
going to be important,

especially if the resources
have to go to another district.

Working with the district to
make sure that they understand

the responsibility and the power
that they have to address those

problems is going to
be very important.

>> Okay.

District 10 has arguably held
sway -- portions of -- of the

new district sway of 10 has argu
-- arguably held a lot of sway

over the City Council
for a long time.

Many in West Austin
voted against the move to

single-member districts, as
I'm sure you guys are aware.

What have you heard on the cam
train -- campaign trail about

that -- about that
general opinion?

But more importantly, how
will that, do you think,

impact the way you reconcile
interest between your district

and the city, as a whole?

I believe, Mandy, you go first.

>> That will be a challenge
because District 10 has

traditionally had more influence
and also has been responsible

for electing a large number
of the City Council Members.

So being sure that -- that the
district needs are addressed and

taken care of is going
to be really important.

But you know, when I
would talk to people,

everybody I talked to was
pretty glad to see that we have

single-member districts now.

In the more central
part of Austin,

they -- I don't think were
as enthusiastic about it,

south of 2222, but when I would
talk to folks north of 2222,

which is the largest group
geographic portion of the

district, everybody seemed
really excited and enthusiastic

and engaged and looking forward
to the opportunity to have a

stronger voice at City Hall.

>> Okay.

Sheri?

>> I think there is a portion
of the district that has been

served, but I think there's a
large portion of the district

that really does feel like they
are un-- underserved and that

would be the north and
the western most section.

So as we walk to neighborhoods
and talked to people and had

events, I mean, I heard a very
clear message that there was a

lot of enthusiasm about this new
process because I think those

areas of District 10 now
felt like that they would be

represented.

The advantage to District 10 and
the people that live in District

10 is you have a very engaged
wonderfully involved community

that is involved in non-profits
and community organizations

whose purpose is to touch
the other areas of Austin.

So it is a population that
is very unselfish in the

willingness to have funds and
spend funds and time to other

parts of the city, and I think
-- I think across the board,

District 10, understands that
it's the city, as a whole,

that's important and they
want to help with that.

>> Okay.

You each have of -- obviously,
you ran for office and you've

run for office before, Sheri.

Mandy you've served on a number
of boards and commissions as we

noted at the top.

You've each formed, obviously,
your own political opinions,

ideologies.

Under what circumstances would
you be willing to compromise

some of those as you lead the
city, if you get this position?

Sheri, we start with you.

>> Well, I think
leadership is compromise.

I think that when we see
problems in government,

it's because the parties aren't
agreeing to compromise and

aren't willing to
listen to other people.

Just because we disagree doesn't
mean we're not -- we're not good

people and we don't
have good intentions;

and I think this particular
process where we have 11 Council

Members, 10 members that are
from vastly different areas of

town and have different needs,
they -- they represent people in

different economic
and social interests.

It's going to be really
important for the leaders that

are on the Council to understand
that we have to work together;

and building that consensus
and working together,

I think is going to be very
key to the Council in this new

single-member district
plan to be successful.

>> Okay.

Mandy.

>> Well, I'm absolutely
committed to collaboration and

making sure that all the
stakeholders are at the table

with a voice and that
everybody is listened to.

In Austin, we sometimes
listen to constituents,

acknowledge them, but then make
decisions that don't include

them.

So I think that being able
to make people understand how

important their input is and to
make sure that they understand

that they really are being
listened to and that their

positions and interests are
being taken into consideration

is going to be really important.

Fortunately, having served on as
many boards and commissions as I

have, and as many non-profits
that serve a number of different

areas of town, I have a pretty
good sense of where the problems

are in Austin and what
some of the needs are.

So I'm hoping that will give
me an advantage as we start

collaborating and talking about
how we're going to resolve

things.

>> Okay.

If you could put three people in
a car -- and we all know about

cars, and traffic -- and have
them drive from North Austin to

South Austin at peak rush
hour, who would it be?

Mandy, you go first.

>> Oh gee, I have three really
good friends I would love to put

in the car.

>> Okay.

>> Sarah Bird and Sandra
Kirk and Sharon Coleman,

and it would be an absolute joy
to be able to spend time with

these really bright women,
talking about things that are

important and things
that are not important,

but being able to just
spend time with friends.

It's something I have
missed in this campaign.

I miss my friends.

>> Okay.

Sheri?

>> You know, that's
-- that's easy.

There's so many fascinating
people that it would be la -- it

would be wonderful to be
locked in with, but you know,

I have to say those of us that
are -- that are engaged in the

community and busy doing
volunteer work and busy with our

businesses, a lot of times it's
our families that are neglected.

Certainly, during this campaign,
I would -- I would put my

husband in that car.

Normally, we spend a
lot of time together,

but it would be fun to
just reconnect there.

But absolutely, I would put both
of my grandchildren in the car.

I mean, my days -- my -- my
memories when they were young

and we had car pool and they
were captured in the car and we

had to have discussions or I
was able to hear what they were

talking about, those are
wonderful days and they're great

kids and just, you know, I --
I miss having the time and them

having the time to
be able to talk.

>> Okay.

Okay.

As -- as we know, some of the
incoming Council Members are

going to draw the short straw
and have to run again in two

years.

What will each of you do if you
draw a two-year Council term?

How will that change
the way that you govern?

Sheri, you first?

>> If we draw the two-year term?

>> Yeah.

>> You know, that's really a
short period of time and I think

a lot of it is that so many of
the Council Members have not

served before, which
is a good thing.

I mean, I think we're all ready
for change and we're ready for

new faces and new voices, but
there's going to be a little bit

of a learning curve there and
so part of the time early on is

going to be spent getting up to
speed and I think there are a

lot of projects and reviews that
all of us have talked about on

the campaign trail that have
been some of the decisions that

have been made recently on the
Council that we really want to

take a look at.

So it's just -- it's going to be
kind of a high speed philosophy

and thought process
that goes along.

There's just not going to be a
lot of time to get things done

so I think, you know, full speed
ahead and a lot of attention to

-- to really good ideas
and that communication,

building that up very quickly,
but -- but we've been working

hard and fast in this campaign
and certainly during this

period.

So I think we'll -- we'll be
ramped up to go pretty quickly.

>> Okay.

Saw a lot of nodding
there, Mandy.

>> Well, actually, I don't
think much would change.

>> Okay.

>> I would want to do in two
years what I would do in four,

which is try and
build consensus,

make sure that there's
transparency at City Hall,

include stakeholders
in decisions;

and so whether I would do that
for two years and then run for

reelection or do it for four,
I don't really think it'll make

much difference.

>> Okay.

>> So I'm not
worried about that.

>> Okay.

This isn't the first
time you've been here.

Certainly, not the first time
you've been in a forum with me,

in front of these folks.

What have you learned
from your opponent?

What?

What?

>> Sheri has a lot of good
ideas that I have learned from.

We are very different in
our approaches, and I think,

in the way we would
manage and make decisions,

but I appreciate the -- the
thought that she gives to her

decision making.

I have -- I'm interested in
learning about her real estate

company.

I don't really know very
much about real estate.

I've been spending most of my
time on boards and commissions

and -- and non-profit boards and
haven't really spent much time

getting to know the sorts
of things that Sheri's been

involved in.

So I look forward
to doing that more.

>> Okay.

Sheri?

>> You know, we were so
fortunate in District 10 and I

know other districts
have said the same thing,

but we had an amazing
group of candidates.

Articulate, thoughtful,
intelligent,

and we spent a lot of
time together at forums.

You know, it seems like it was
30 plus that we were there,

and as you -- as you make the
decision to run for office,

and you build your area of
expertise and your knowledge,

you know, there is so much that
you have to learn to be a viable

candidate and be a
knowledgeable candidate;

and every forum I would sit in,
I would hear new information and

new ideas and new solutions from
each of the other candidates,

and -- and there was just so
much that was learned from all

of them and it's been a
wonderful process and I count

them as friends and hope that we
will stay connected because it

was just a -- a really good
-- great group of people.

>> Okay.

You hear it again and again.

A tale of two Austins.

Right?

Some Council Members
will represent the haves,

some the have nots, some
districts will be a mix of both.

What can you learn from other
Council Members and their

constituents to help
the city as a whole?

Sheri?

>> Well, I think part of it is,
it goes back to leadership and

what things I have done in the
past that I will bring to the

table as a Council Member and
I think taking those leadership

roles that are in organizations
that cover all of Austin has

given me the knowledge of -- of
what other people need and what

services we can provide
and how to do that best.

I've heard that voice and I've
been involved with every --

every part of Austin.

My career has been
in real estate.

I sell houses and help people
find homes and I go wherever my

client's want me to go; and that
means for the last 35 years,

I have been in every
neighborhood in Austin.

So because of that, I'm familiar
with all of Austin and I think

that expert -- expertise, not
only from being in my district

for so long, being born here
and being here over 50 years,

but having that input and impact
and -- and connection to the

rest of the community
is really important.

>> Okay.

Mandy.

>> Would you repeat the question
just so I can get it clear?

>> Sure.

A tale of two Austins is
what we're --

>> Right.

>> -- looking at here.

Some Council Members are going
to represent the folks who
have --

>> Right.

>> -- some the folks who don't,
and some will be a mix of both.

What will you learn from the --
the other Council Members and

their constituents to
help the city as a whole?

>> We really do have a huge
economic divide in Austin and

I'm hoping that as a Council,
we can look at that and try and

find ways to diminish it.

I have been able to spend time
in lots of different parts of

town, working on
different things.

I was on the Community
Action Network,

which is now the Community
Advocacy Network,

for a number of years, served on
the Community Foundation Board,

have spent a lot of time trying
to make lives better in Austin

all over town; and so I think I
have a pretty good idea of what

some of the problems are and I
really look forward to talking

to the representatives from
the other districts to find out

their perspectives and -- and
how they think that we can

improve the lives
of those folks.

>> Okay.

Let's talk for a minute
about regionalism.

You guys are going to be from a
district that is as far flung as

it gets when we're talking
about these districts.

How are you going to -- what
leadership skills will you use

as you get on regional entities,
Camp O that sort of thing.

Mandy, you're up first.

>> I think the same leadership
skills that I hope to employ at

the Council.

It's a matter of
talking to people,

finding out their points
of view, their needs,

and making sure that
their voices are heard.

And we have got to
collaborate regionally.

It doesn't do any good for
Austin to have wonderful plans

or water conservation or
transportation solutions if we

can't extend those to the
surrounding communities.

They need to buy in to the same
values and goals that we have,

and working with them to make
sure that that happens is going

to be absolutely critical
because Austin can't be

successful if the region
is not successful.

>> Okay.

Sheri?

>> I agree with that and I think
that we need to remember that

we're not the island,
you know, in the state,

that they are -- we are
impacted by all the cities,

all the areas around us
and there does need to be

collaboration and communication
between all of the entities.

Once again, it goes back to,
as Mandy said, listening,

asking the questions,
taking that process,

and going back to the
community to talk about it.

The -- I just think that that's
really important for us to be

able to do and to have impact,
both from Austin out and also

out into Austin, and really
listen -- and learn from others.

You know, we have a tendency to
-- to try to reinvent the wheel,

but we can look at other places
that have experienced the same

issues we have, learned
from their mistakes.

That's one of the advantages
about being a native Austinite

and living here so long is I've
been able to be here long enough

to understand and see the
results of both the good and bad

decisions.

When the Council
makes a decision,

it's often a decade before what
the decision is implemented and

actually serves the population,
and I think the historical view

of that is really important
for thoughtful decision making.

>> You both -- you both touched
on an -- an interesting issue

there.

Mandy talked about plans.

Sheri talked about the time it
takes for Austin to implement

something.

Let's, for a minute, accept the
idea that Austin is a city of a

lot of plans on shelves.

How will you lead to make
some of those plans a reality?

Sheri, you're up first.

>> One of the things
that we heard,

or that I heard as we walked
neighborhoods and talked to

people and had events and
invited and -- and listened at

the forums was, there's
such a frustration, now,

with the length of time and the
amount of time and the amount of

money it takes to get anything
through the city process.

And so I think we have --
need to have some very high

expectation from the city
manager that our departments are

run efficiently and effectively
and -- and always have in mind

being conscious of spending
the tax dollar wisely;

and so there -- there's a lot of
places that I think we need to

work on as far as an
efficiency of departments.

>> Okay.

Mandy?

>> Well, that frustration is
one of the things that -- that

inspired me to run for Council
because I've been on task forces

that came up with really
excellent recommendations that

may not have had much impact.

And so I think it's really
important to acknowledge the

amount of time that the
stakeholders put into coming up

with these recommendations and
acknowledge that they really do

represent the people who have
the most to gain or lose with

the changes that are
being considered;

so I'm hoping that we can give
more credence and more weight to

the task forces and that we
really adopt plans and then

stick to them.

An important example of
that is Imagine Austin.

You know, we're going to be
rewriting the Land Development

Code, which is going to be one
of the biggest tasks before the

new Council.

And making sure that it reflects
the values from Imagine Austin

is going to be
absolutely critical.

A lot of people spent a long
time identifying those values

and coming up with ways to
honor them and include them,

and if we don't make sure that
the Land Development Code honors

that and reflects those, then
I think it's going to be really

unfortunate.

>> Okay.

There -- there are a
number -- as you guys know,

there are a number of
subcommittees and boards that

the City Council Members have
a pleasure of serving on,

not just the regional entities.

Have you guys given any thought
to which boards you think you'd

be most effective on?

Go ahead, Mandy.

>> The Council Committees?

>> Yes.

The Council Subcommittees.

>> Okay.

I would really like to serve on
Health and Human Service and I

would like to serve on the
Audit and Finance Committees.

Those are two that
really speak to me.

Having graduated
from the LBJ School,

I am crazy about budgets.

I'm one of the weird people I
know who really enjoys reading

budgets and scrubbing them and
digging really deeply into them.

So that would be a
real pleasure for me.

The other, as I said, is the
Health and Human Service because

we have so many absolutely
fabulous organizations in Austin

that serve many, many human
needs and I would like to see

the city strengthen those
relationships so that those

groups can do an even better
job of serving the needs of the

community.

>> Okay.

Sheri.

>> You know, as a business owner
for the past 35 years and -- and

having kept that business
open through three economic

up-and-down cycles, I look at
budget and I see that, perhaps,

the city needs to be run in a
manner that -- that mirrors a

little bit more towards
business owners and a business.

Sound budgeting,
controlling expenses.

I mean, our affordability issue
right now is -- is based on --

on a lot of -- of
non-controlling and

overspending, and I think that's
really important to -- to get a

handle on those.

Customer service, you know I
hear that over and over again.

I think we need -- we've got
great city employees but I think

we need to work a little bit
on customer service, there.

I just -- I think that the
affordability issue is so

substantial in this town
and it's -- it's impacted so

substantially by the fact that
we're not controlling expenses,

and perhaps, we're spending on
things other than core services,

which is what we need
to be spending on.

All of our neighborhoods are --
are screaming for libraries that

need to be improved, and
potholes that need to be fixed,

and parks that need
to be maintained,

and sidewalks that
need to be built.

And talking about affordability,
housing is of an interest to me.

So that is the other place that
I would like to have an impact.

It's what I've
done for 35 years.

We've got to maintain
affordability,

both in a home ownership
and the rental market.

Over half of the people in
Austin rent and if rents go up,

my children, who
have great jobs,

can't afford to buy close to
where they work so they have to

leave.

So we have to make sure that --
that we manage the expenses of

property owners so that they
can keep those rents affordable.

So that's -- that's one of the
places I would really like to

work.

>> Okay.

Unfortunately, we have -- only
have time for one more and then

I'm going to have to limit you
guys to each -- 30 seconds each.

[Laughter]

At the --

>> Sound familiar.

>> At the end of your term,

what is the biggest mark you
would like to leave on your

district?

And I think you're
up first, Sheri.

>> You know, I think being a
leader that understands the

responsibility of leadership
is leading people in the right

direction; and that means that
you make thoughtful decisions,

you -- you build
consensus, you listen,

but you make sure that your
government decisions that you

make as a Council Member are
leading the city in the right

direction and that's
what a good leader does.

>> Okay.

Mandy?

>> One of the marks
I would like to make,

and sort of be remembered for,
is helping to shepherd the new

Land Development Code.

It is going to affect Austin and
how it's -- how it grows for the

next 15, 20, 30 years ,and
having spent 7 years on the

planning commission, working not
only on Imagine Austin but also

the downtown plan in working
with lots of neighborhoods to

develop their
neighborhood plans.

I think it is going to be
extremely important that we

reflect the values and the
hard work of all the people who

worked on those and make sure
that the Land Development Code

is exactly what
we need it to be.

>> Okay.

That's all the time
we have for tonight.

Thanks to both of you, Mandy
Dealey and Sheri Gallo.

All of the run-off conversations
and our conversation with the

newly elected candidates
for District 2, 5,

and 9 will be
available on YouTube.

Early voting in the run-off
election starts December 1st.

Election day is December 16th.

For KLRU, Leadership Austin, the
Annette Strauss Institute for

Civic Life and KUT,
I'm Michael Kanin,

thanks so much for watching.

[Music]

[Applause]

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