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What I learned at SXSW

daily dot

Originally published by The Daily Dot on March 20, 2016. 

By Mayor Steve Adler

SXSW Interactive has always been the opposite of Vegas in that what happens in Austin doesn’t stay in Austin. This year, that was more true than ever as the United States Conference of Mayors hosted a delegation of mayors from across the country to participate in a special programming track at SXSWi. What we learned by mixing things up with leaders in the tech industry could have profound implications in how the tech industry and the public sector view each other as opportunities for innovation. Continue reading →

OPED: Mayor weighs in on Austin music crisis — and what the city’s going to do about it

logo_revised910By Steve Adler
3.4.16 | 9:11 am

Editor’s note: In this exclusive op-ed, Mayor Steve Adler weighs in on the current state of Austin music — and plans for the future. 

We didn’t need another study to tell us that Austin’s local music industry is suffering under the affordability crisis, but the news that it has lost 1,200 jobs since 2010 was sobering. We won’t be the Live Music Capital of the World for much longer if we keep losing musicians and music venues.

That’s why I’m happy to tell you that the Austin City Council just did something about it by adopting the Austin Music and Creative Ecosystem Omnibus Resolution. This resolution proposes creative solutions for our creative class, because inherent in the problems facing the music and arts sectors are opportunities that, if successful, will help them not just survive but thrive.

Continue reading →

CLIP: Wear: Adler’s pitch for Austin bond election on I-35 faces tight timetable

ralph barerra

Photo Courtesy Ralph Barrera, Austin American-Statesman

If it’s an even-numbered year, and it’s Austin, we’re probably having a transportation bond election.

After all, the city held one in 2006 asking for $103.1 million, and it passed. After a break in 2008, when the economy was in collapse and no one would have dared float a bond, in 2010 the city sought $90 million of borrowing for transportation (also a yes).In 2012, the city requested authority for another $143.3 million (yes, yet again). In 2014, less than 15 months ago, the city asked for a heady billion dollars for light rail and highway spending, but that one was emphatically rejected by voters.

(Full Story Austin American-Statesman)