Michael D. Cargill

Michael Cargill was a 2014 candidate for District 1 of the Austin, Texas City Council.

Campaign themes[edit]

On his campaign website, Cargill highlighted the following issues:^[1]

Transportation

Excerpt: "Austin is continually growing and we must end the indecisiveness of the City Council. We must work with the community and experts to develop a comprehensive traffic plan that includes rerouting commercial trucks, reversible lanes, and encouraging alternative work schedules. The City Council should engage county and state government, and local businesses in its efforts to encourage working from home, telecommuting, carpooling, the use of public transportation and staggering work hours to drastically reduce congestion on Austin’s roadways without limiting the public’s access to services. Restructuring bus routes and bus stops could improve the public’s access to transportation for commuting to work and at the same time relieve traffic congestion."

Environment and water

Excerpt: "We are running out of water, our energy needs are growing by the day, and the City of Austin’s landfills and waste water treatment facilities are quickly reaching capacity in District 1. Conservation and sustainability efforts should be the forefront of our plan to conserve water, reduce waste, increase recycling and expand renewable energy production. We can encourage citizens to use the incentive programs of Austin’s Zero Waste initiative. For example, the City of Austin offers two $75 savings plans for the purchase of a home composting system. Rather than filling up our landfills with food scraps and lawn clippings, you can compost them to create a nutrient rich fertilizer for your garden or lawn."

Education

Excerpt: "With the State Capitol located in District 1, and my successful history of lobbying the State Legislature, I’m confident that I can bring the resources needed to elevate District 1 by bringing more funds to the City of Austin. We have a moral obligation to give children and adults the tools they need to succeed in today’s complex world. The City Council should reallocate Austin Parks and Library services to increase access and lower costs to the citizens of District 1. At the same time, in order to increase opportunities for all citizens of the community, we should increase bilingual services."

Government efficiency

Excerpt: "Reducing wasteful spending and increasing revenues, while keeping in mind the tax-paying citizens’ interests, will always be my priority. Cooperation, not competition, between city departments is one of many ways to accomplish this goal. All city departments must learn to work together toward common goals of serving the community and keeping our citizens safe."

See also: Austin, Texas municipal elections, 2014.

The city of Austin held elections for city council on November 4, 2014. The candidate filing deadline was August 18, 2014. Because of redistricting and term limits, there was no incumbent for District 1.^[2] The candidates were Andrew Bucknall, Michael D. Cargill, George Hindman, Ora Houston, Christopher J. Hutchins, Norman A. Jacobson, DeWayne Lofton, Valerie M. Menard and Samuel A. Osemene.^[3] Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the general election, the top two vote-getters - Houston and Lofton - faced each other in a runoff election on December 16, 2014.^[4] Houston was the winner.^[5]

Austin City Council, District 1, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ora Houston	49.1%	6,429
DeWayne Lofton	14.4%	1,887
Andrew Bucknall	6.2%	811
Michael D. Cargill	5.4%	711
George W. Hindman	7.1%	928
Christopher J. Hutchins	3.2%	421
Norman A. Jacobson	1.2%	153
Valerie M. Menard	9.3%	1,221
Samuel A. Osemene	4%	529
Total Votes		10,766
Source: Travis County Clerk - 2014 Official Election Results

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