Mayor Adler had no place to hide.
- A serial bomber terrorizes the fastest-growing US city.
- A pandemic kills people and shuts down the economy.
- Homeless encampments take over parks and civic debate.
- A city is at war with itself over policing and race.
- Affordability and housing costs explode.
- A city navigates unprecedented political polarization.
From 2015 to 2023, every crisis landed on the Austin mayor’s desk—and every decision carried immediate, real-world consequences. Hot Seat—Hot City is Adler’s unflinching, first-person account of what governing actually looks like when there are no great options. Not a campaign memoir or partisan argument—this is written by someone accountable for outcomes, not rhetoric.
As national politics grows more dysfunctional, cities have become the front line of American democracy. Mayors absorb the consequences of failures they didn’t create, forced to make real-time decisions under intense public scrutiny. This is the story of mayors everywhere, and more than 45 U.S. mayors have put their names behind it.
This book is a clear-eyed look at what democratic leadership demands when consensus is elusive, institutions are strained, and the stakes are high.
Mayor Adler had no place to hide.
- A serial bomber terrorizes the fastest-growing US city.
- Homeless encampments take over parks and civic debate.
- A city is at war with itself over policing and race.
- Affordability and housing costs explode.
- A city navigates unprecedented political polarization.
- A pandemic kills people and shuts down the economy.
From 2015 to 2023, every crisis landed on the Austin mayor’s desk—and every decision carried immediate, real-world consequences. Hot Seat—Hot City is Adler’s unflinching, first-person account of what governing actually looks like when there are no great options. Not a campaign memoir or partisan argument—this is written by someone accountable for outcomes, not rhetoric.
As national politics grows more dysfunctional, cities have become the front line of American democracy. Mayors absorb the consequences of failures they didn’t create, forced to make real-time decisions under intense public scrutiny. This is the story of mayors everywhere, and more than 45 U.S. mayors have put their names behind it.
This book is a clear-eyed look at what democratic leadership demands when consensus is elusive, institutions are strained, and the stakes are high.
Endorsed by more than 45 U.S. mayors.
“A powerful memoir from one of America’s greatest mayors, showing us where democracy still lives and thrives.”
Eric Garcetti
Former Mayor of Los Angeles
“A political memoir that’s actually useful. You should read it twice.”
Steve Benjamin
Former Mayor of Columbia
“Required reading for anyone who thinks governing is easy.”
Rahm Emanuel
Former Mayor of Chicago
“Government is about whether the potholes get fixed, whether people can afford rent, whether the bus shows up on time. Steve gets this.”
Marty Walsh
Former Mayor of Boston
“Every national failure lands on a mayor’s desk.”
Sam Liccardo
Former Mayor of San Jose
“Raw and candid in ways few elected officials ever are.”
Lori Lightfoot
Former Mayor of Chicago
ABOUT MAYOR STEVE ADLER
Steve Adler served as the 52nd mayor of Austin, Texas, from 2015 to 2023, leading one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities through explosive change and extraordinary challenges—a serial bombing, the COVID-19 pandemic, historic protests over police violence, and growth that transformed Austin into a major technology hub.
As mayor, Adler navigated the tensions of governing a rapidly growing progressive city within a conservative state, expanding affordable housing initiatives, reforming homelessness policy, and implementing police accountability measures while managing infrastructure investment and explosive population growth.
Before his election as mayor, Adler practiced law for more than three decades, specializing in eminent domain and civil rights litigation, and represented clients before both the United States Supreme Court and the Texas Supreme Court.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Texas School of Law, Adler now teaches at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Huston-Tillotson University, and St. Edward’s University. He lives in Austin with his wife Diane.
Author photograph by Lindsey Thorne
Cover design by George Stevens