Is a Weak Mayor Really Better for Austin?

On February 4, 2014 in the opinion section of the Austin American Statesman an article was posted titled, What Kind of Mayor Best for Austin Under New Governing System? This article is explaining that Austin is currently going through a transition in its governing system. I feel that the source used seems to be credible in his opinion. Although, I don't think the author of the the opinion article provided enough elaboration on the thoughts of Terrell Blodgett, a professor emeritus in urban management for the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. There is a clear one-sided point of view as well, I Believe this article would have been more effective with more a in depth look into the pros and cons of each side of the issue. It seems the author's intention was to use Blodgett's opinion to persuade readers to agree that Austin should be a city that uses single-member districts like, San Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth. I don't think Austin is like these other major cities but I do think that the mayor having more influence could be a positive thing for the city. An Austin resident with some experience in my opinion with moderate amount of influence would be the best thing for the city of Austin. Overall, I understand the point but some things are left unclear. I think this article should have gone farther into the what are the impacts of the change in the governing system. The conclusion in my opinion the article could have been stronger with some deeper explanation.

Davis Demands Abbott Settle School Finance Lawsuit

On february 10th KVUE posted an article titled Davis demands Abbott settle school finance lawsuit, which outlines one very important point relating to both the race for governor and to the students all around Texas. This is important because it is directly effecting Texas government and about 600 school districts around Texas. It has been ruled by the 250th Civil District Court Judge John Dietz that the major budget cuts of about 5.4 million dollars in 2011 was unconstitutional. After the testimonies ended on friday he announced a decision will be made in the following weeks. Wendy Davis the Democratic front-runner suggested that Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican's front-runner should have settled this on going battle already outside of court. This is going to be another key point during the course of this year's election for governor.