City Council member Alison Alter | Facebook
City Council member Alison Alter | Facebook
Incumbent Alison Alter is facing a runoff election against challenger Jennifer Virden for the Austin City Council District 10 seat tomorrow.
Alter, a Democrat, received well short of the required 50% majority with just 34.76% of the vote and runner up Jennifer Virden garnered 25.35%, according to KVUE-TV News.
An incumbent with four years' experience on the council, Alter is a self-described mother, entrepreneur, community advocate and educator. According to her website, she has more than 20 years' experience working in higher education, nonprofit sectors and through public-private partnerships. In 2013 she launched the philanthropic advertising firm Alter Advertising.
A longtime District 10 resident, Virden is an independent real estate broker and remodeling general contractor, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from University of Texas at Austin, according to her website.
According to The Austin Bulldog, District 10 incumbent Alter raised approximately $182,000 in contributions through Oct. 5, while Virden, a late starter, raised slightly more than $52,000. Virden also loaned her campaign $50,000.
Virden will receive a $26,443 boost in campaign funds from the Austin Fair Campaign Finance Fund. The fund was established to reward candidates who agreed to observe limits on campaign spending, said city clerk and fund administer Jannette Goodall.
According to Austin News, $13,568 of the contributions Alter received originated from a lobbying firm representing real estate interests.
Last August, Alter voted with the majority to cut police spending by one-third despite a rise in crime. The vote caused the city to cancel upcoming cadet training classes, cut overtime pay and eliminate vacant officer positions, KVUE-TV News reported.
Virden is opposed to defunding the police.
Alter’s husband, Jeremi Suri, recently called Virden a racist on Twitter and referred to statements Virden made in a candidate forum moderated by the League of Women Voters, according to The Austin Bulldog.
Alerts Sign-up