AUSTIN LEFTIES UNHAPPY WITH DIVERSITY: Austin Council Member Ora Houston Picks Gun Rights Activist For Bond Task Force.

Defending her choice to the bond advisory task force, Houston framed her selection as one rooted in the ideal of ideological diversity, positing her district as “…a large blended family” as outlined in correspondence obtained by Patch. She cited Cargill’s longtime Austin residency, homeowner status and proprietorship of a small business as among personal attributes informing her decision.

“Have you ever met Mr. Cargill?” Houston begins in her reply to Treiber. “It has always been my position that there is a place for different perspectives. This is one seat of eleven on the Bond Election Advisory Task Force. Mr. Cargill lives in the far northern section of the district; has lived in Austin for a long time; is a small business owner; a home owner and I am confident that he has the capacity to work within the rules and regulations of this particular Task Force.”

The councilwoman took issue with Treiber’s assessment of Cargill’s values as contrasting with those of the council in which he lives.

“There are 76,000 people in District #1,” Houston noted, “and after two years, six months, and one day, I am confident that there are no ‘defined’ values of District #1.”

Good for her.