What the mayor & Council members say they'll do

On Monday City Council convened for a special meeting to swear in the six members who were just elected or reelected. Mike Siegel, Krista Laine and Marc Duchen are starting their first terms, Vanessa Fuentes and Chito Vela are starting their second terms, and Mayor Kirk Watson is embarking on his fourth term.

Watching the meeting at home, I was struck by a couple parallels with the Golden Globes, which I had (surprisingly) watched the night before. First and most obviously, not that many people seem to care about it. Second, there is a clear understanding of who is entitled to a long speech and who needs to thank their family and manager and get the hell off the stage.

Kirk Watson and Adrien Briody (best actor) are in the former camp. The newly elected Council members and Nine Inch Nails (best original score) are in the latter.

In sharp contrast to the Golden Globes, however, each Council member said at least one thing that caught my attention. All of them sent a signal about the direction they want city government to head in.

Watson claims mandate to "get things done"

Watson, who spoke last, said his reelection reflected the electorate's "growing confidence" in its city government.

When he returned to the mayor's office after a two decade hiatus two years ago, he said, "there was a very real sense in the community that City Hall had lost the plot."

The situation demanded "dramatic action," he said. And that's what he and his colleagues on Council delivered.

The accomplishments include a "rebuilt" city management team, big changes to the land development code, a "streamlined" development review process, new economic development programs, a "new approach to fighting homelessness that promises real results," and a police contract "that lays the groundwork to improving public safety across the board."

"In short," he added, "we got stuff done at City Hall. And I think Austin voters saw it and liked it and want more of it. They saw stable government getting results and they want more."

Suffice it to say, I don't think the past two years have been nearly as transformative as Watson describes. Opinions are mixed among builders about whether the development review process has meaningfully changed. Permits are probably moving quicker simply because there is less construction happening right now. There haven't been significant changes to the process. I also don't think Council has done anything new on homelessness. The police contract is a political victory, but it remains to be seen whether it actually improves public safety.