Issues: Office of Public Advocate
Regarding Austin’s current City Council representational system…
I think the at-large system has various strengths and weaknesses today, just as it always has. There are some changes that can be made to improve our local government and its responsiveness. One is to add more council members. I believe the council could be enlarged to reflect population increases we’ve experienced. I am interested in the hybrid model, where we have at-large members and single-member districts.
I also propose the creation of a new office called the Office of Public Advocate. This would similar to the Office of Public Advocate in New York City. That officeholder is second-in-line to the mayor. In our instance, the City of Austin’s Office of Public Advocate would be an elected position. The officeholder would be an ombudsman, or go-between for the citizens and the city government. The council members would still answer to citizens, of course, and respond to their requests. In addition to council members, the Public Advocate would answer complaints about problems with city government, investigate ineffective agencies and programs, and propose solutions that would make government more efficient, and help communities gain better access to government.
In many ways, the Office of Public Advocate would be a “council monitor” like the Office of Police Monitor.