As runoff looms, 4 takeaways from latest Austin mayoral debate between Israel, Watson

Austin mayoral candidates Celia Israel and Kirk Watson battled over housing policies and transportation proposals in a public debate just days ahead of the Dec. 13 runoff election day.

Watson, a former Austin mayor and former Texas state senator, and Israel, a sitting state representative, advanced to the runoff after neither got a majority of the vote in the November general election. Early voting is already underway, and will continue through Dec. 9.

The runoff battle presents a classic challenge for the candidates: They will need to reenergize their voter bases to show up to the polls during the holiday season and more than a month after the general election.

Watson's consistent message during the campaign has been his track record of getting things done as Austin's mayor from 1997-2001 and during 13 years in the Texas Senate, while Israel's has been a focus on housing affordability, according to their campaign managers.

Here are some of the highlights from the hourlong debate, which was hosted by Austin television station KXAN:

More:Early voting starts in Austin's mayor, City Council runoffs: What you need to know

Israel and Watson continue to spar over Watson's land use plans

During the debate, Israel and Watson continued their ongoing sparring over Watson's land use plan, which has been criticized repeatedly by Israel. Watson has proposed that individual Austin City Council districts should have their own development code options, rather than a uniform development code across the city.

When a moderator asked how Watson would prevent districts from shutting out affordable housing altogether, Watson said his plan has been "mischaracterized for political purposes" and that the plan supports affordable housing. He said the plan incentivizes pro-housing reforms.

"In fact, what I'm saying is, there has to be a baseline across the city. Every district will have to do something" for housing, Watson said.

More:Austin's mayor's race heats up: Celia Israel blasts Kirk Watson's housing plan as racist

Israel, who has criticized the plan from the start and even labeled it racist, said Watson's plan looked like a "redlining plan" that could cut out low-income city residents and exacerbate economic inequity. Redlining is a term that refers to historical policies in some U.S. cities that outlined areas where minority residents lived and were denied services and deemed risky investment areas.

Watson's initial pan "had the words 'quota' in it, and he had to adjust the language on his plan," Israel said. "Despite the changes he has made after we issued our own housing affordability plan, it is a recipe for status quo to make this extra layer of time. It is more bureaucracy. It's more of the same."

In a Friday campaign email, Watson's campaign manager Max Lars denied the housing plan had the word "quota" in it and said that language in the plan has not changed. The housing plan online has a July 29 addendum.

At odds over how to spend $350 million housing bond

Austin voters in November approved a $350 million housing bond measure, with the money intended to be used to develop more housing units at below market cost. It is the largest bond measure in Austin's history, and nearly three out of every four voters supported it. The plan is to land and build housing, as well as repair existing homes for low-income residents.

Moderators asked what the candidates would prioritize in the expenditure of that money. While both candidates ultimately circled to expediting projects, Israel said the money should go to support area nonprofits, while Watson said it would go to working with private industry through public-private partnerships.

"We found that we are getting some building going on for those that are at 80% or 60% of the mean income. And what we need is we need it to go even deeper. We need it to be at 30% and at 20%," Watson said. "So one of my priorities would be to work with the private industry, the private developers as they're developing their projects, bring in that public money, so we would be able to together be able to buy down those units."

Who can win over former mayoral candidate Virden's voters?

In the Nov. 8 general election, conservative candidate Jennifer Virden won 18% of the vote, according to unofficial but final results. Appealing to those voters could determine who wins the runoff between Israel and Watson.

The debate's moderators asked Watson and Israel what their message would be to those voters. Watson beat the same drum in this debate as he had in an earlier forum hosted by the League of Women's Voters, saying he's trying to get City Hall to do better at "the fundamentals," the core responsibilities of the city. Watson used funding and staffing the Police Department, as well as enforcing the camping ban, as examples in his answer.

"You do it by just doing the job well, and focusing on the basics, not moving beyond what we need in order to have Austin be the city that we want," Watson said.

Israel pointed to her experience as a real estate agent, a background she shares with Virden, a real estate broker. Israel said she understood the frustrations of people within the development arena and that Austin needed to do better to "clean up that red tape."

"Whether you're trying to build a carport, or whether you're trying to build a studio apartment in the back lot or building your home, I know how to a build a house like Ms. Virden," Israel said.

The American-Statesman has reached out to Virden multiple times regarding whether she plans to endorse either Watson or Israel. Virden said she was interested in commenting on the runoffs but would not share anything at this time.

More:In rebuke of city's homelessness policies, Austin voters bring back homeless camping ban

Both say they are committed to enforcing city's camping ban

While both Watson and Israel say they are committed to enforcing the ban on public camping that Austin voters approved in 2021, they differ on what should happen beyond that to address homelessness.

Watson said the camping ban need to be enforced "in a way that is humane."

"We're just having people move from one side of the street to another and not have any place for them to go," Watson said. He pointed to resource centers that opened back when he was mayor as examples of work he's done for homeless community members.

Israel countered by saying people at a warming shelter where she volunteered told her they don't want to go to resource centers and downtown shelters.

"The last place they wanted to go is that resource center that Kirk is so proud of," Israel said. "They recoiled from me when I asked them, 'Do you want to go to the ARCH? Do you want to go to the Salvation Army?' They felt more comfortable going to a camp at the back of a 7-Eleven."

Israel said she would support area nonprofits, who are "recalibrating" and need a partner in the city on their projects.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: As runoff looms, 4 takeaways from latest Austin mayoral debate