City Council member Alison Alter | Facebook
City Council member Alison Alter | Facebook
An analysis for donations to Austin City Council members reveals that real estate and construction industries have donated a significant amount of funds.
In the first half of 2020, 19% of all fundraising came from real estate, construction or similar industries, the Austin Bulldog reported. Of $91,500 donated by these industries, $68,000 went to three candidates – District 4 incumbent Greg Casar, District 2 candidate David Chincanchan and District 6 incumbent Jimmy Flannigan.
Council member Alison Alter's campaign also received a substantial amount from those sectors. Real estate developers and lobbyists donated $13,568 to Alter's campaign, the Austin Bulldog reported.
Of the real estate industry donations, Alter's campaign finance report shows that she received funding from David Boderman, Terry Mitchell, Joseph Straub and Laura Gottesman.
Mitchell is president and visionary of Momark Development, according to Momark Development's website.
"He is the guy with the plan and creative by nature, believing that the needs of an area are the essential ingredients to forming a healthy community," Mitchell's About Page on Momark Development's website states. "Terry is leading the charge to improve people’s lives, one community at a time."
Mitchell is primarily involved in planning and development of residential areas.
Gottesman is Sandy Gottesman's sister-in-law and owner of land west of the downtown Convention Center, Austin Business Journal reported. Alter, along with the Austin City Council, is moving forward to acquire Gottesman's property and additional properties for a convention center expansion.
City Council will purchase two land plots west of the convention center at a cost of $6.3 million to begin acquiring the lands, the Austin Monitor reported.
“This action is the first of a two-step approval process. The exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) will allow the city, the landowners and developers to establish more detailed specifications, including guaranteed maximum pricing for the acquisition and development of westward expansion of the convention center space. The transaction will include an estimated 750,000 square feet of convention space and related amenities," staff documentation states, the Austin Monitor reported.
The second step is scheduled for summer of 2021 and involves a purchase and sale agreement with documents.
The convention center expansion will be an approximately $1 billion project, the Austin Monitor reported.
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