By Bill Oakey, June 29, 2024

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Marc for this blog. He is tailor-made to bring affordability to City Hall. We’ve heard local politicians roll that word off their tongues for years. But they have clearly not delivered. Now it’s time for the real deal. Here are the first refreshing words from Marc in the interview:

1. “We have a problem with just the way our dollars are spent, creating public value for people.”

That is quite a wallop for an opening statement! He quite simply “gets it.”

2. “Looking at the City Budget over the last several years, I ask myself if we are getting the right value for the accelerated increases in spending? The benefits to the people are not obvious. Do we get more value from the $1.6 billion convention center, or from supporting the arts, local musicians and the other things that Austinites enjoy? I think we need to scrutinize and evaluate some of the major items, like Project Connect.”

I did not have to nudge Marc on the “value” of Project Connect. Much of the fairy tale promises of sipping cocktails by an underground station, while listening to a band and waiting for a magical chariot on rails have already collapsed before our eyes. The courts are now determining whether our open ended, perpetual tax increase for Project Connect is even legal.

3. “The hometown spirit of Austin is at risk of being lost. We may be way past keeping Austin weird. But at least we need to have public events that are accessible to people of all ages and all income levels. The Parks and Recreation Department, especially, has a lot of events that cater to the wealthy, as opposed to longtime Austinites. I do support a broad range of senior discounts. We seem to have fewer of those than we used to.”

Marc is reviewing one of my earlier blog posting that called for senior discounts. All of his responses during our interview were carefully and thoroughly worded. I could tell that he had a firm grasp on the substance of the issues.

So, Where Does Marc Duchen Really Stand On Affordability?

Firmly in your corner!

Please spread the word to your neighbors and friends. Stay tuned for more details from this blog interview. I will share his thoughts on accountability and citizen engagement at City Hall. Plus – Marc’s take on the City Budget.