Austin City Council Members To Be Sworn In

AUSTIN, TX — The City of Austin will swear in its newly elected city council members on Wednesday, officials said.

The ceremony scheduled at 6 p.m. will be a virtual version in adherence to physical distancing guidelines to thwart spread of the coronavirus. The event will be accessible on ATXN and Facebook Live feeds, and the public is invited to stream from City of Austin social media and ATXN:

• City of Austin Facebook: www.Facebook.com/AustinTexasGov
• Online: www.ATXN.tv (ATXN1)
• ATXN Broadcast
  • Spectrum: Channel 6
  • Grande Communications: Channel 6
  • Google Fiber TV: Channel 6 (HD)
  • AT&T U-Verse: Channel 99

Individuals taking their oaths of office include incumbent council members Greg Casar (District 4), Leslie Pool (District 7) and Alison Alter (District 10), along with newly elected council members Vanessa Fuentes (District 2) and Mackenzie Kelly (District 6).

Fuentes won the District 2 seat vacated by Delia Garza, who was elected to Travis County Attorney. The newcomer secured more than 56 percent of the votes in the Nov. 3 election against two opponents running against her and another who dropped out of the race prior to vote casting but too late to have his name removed from the ballot.

For her part, Kelly defeated incumbent Jimmy Flannigan in a Dec. 15 runoff election after garnering 52.25 percent of the vote. A political novice, the 34-year-old Kelly is a home health care professional married to Patrick Osborn, a news anchor and reporter for NewsRadio KLBJ. While Flannigan gained a plurality of the vote (40.2 percent) in the Nov. 3 general election, a runoff with Kelly was needed after she secured the second-most votes with 33.4 percent that ultimately denied him a second term.

The Mayor Pro Tem will be determined when council meetings resume the week of Jan. 25, according to the municipal advisory.