Inside Austin's Agenda: City Council Member Mike Siegel
AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday's Inside Austin's Agenda episode, host Grace Reader will sit down with Austin City Council Member Mike Siegel at 3 p.m. Siegel is one of three new members on the council.
Reader and Siegel will discuss the council member's first few months in the role, how local government is responding to recent state and federal policy, and upcoming city council action.
The city of Austin is facing mounting financial pressure as the Trump administration's federal budget looks to make cuts that could impact our city. Local governments around the country are also being asked to comply with the new policy on things like immigration and unions.
Siegel was Austin's former city attorney and provides a unique perspective on what the city can and cannot do in response.
RELATED: Inside Austin's Agenda: What to expect from city council in 2025
They will also discuss upcoming city council actions that could impact you, including recent hearings on building code reform and early budget discussions.
You can watch the episode and every other at the top of this article, on Facebook, on any streaming device through the KXAN+ app, and YouTube. Inside Austin's Agenda goes live every other Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Posts falsely claim Namibia has announced ban on US gas and oil exploration
'Namibia cancelled contract with US from Mining their OIL & GAS,' reads an X post published on May 30, 2025. With more than 16,000 likes, the post adds: 'They ended the Oil & Gas contract with the US and told the US Government to immediately stop all Mining Operations in Namibia as Namibia ventures into State-owned mining operations.' The post includes side-by-side photos of Namibia's President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and US President Donald Trump. Similar posts were shared thousands of times more on X and other platforms, including Facebook, TikTok and blogs. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who was elected in March, placed the country's oil and gas industries under direct presidential control the day after her inauguration. They previously fell under the Ministry of Energy and Mines (archived here). However, the government has not announced the cancellation of any energy contracts with the United States. A keyword search for 'Namibia cancels oil and gas with the US' turned up more posts repeating the false claim, as well as articles debunking it (archived here). The posts began circulating at about the same time as claims debunked by AFP Fact Check alleging that Namibia had announced the deportation of 500 Americans. As reported by AFP in April, Nandi-Ndatiwah explained that the oil and gas sector had the potential to transform Namibia's economy within the next five years by securing energy supplies and creating jobs (archived here). 'Mining contributes 12 percent to our gross domestic product and over 50 percent of our foreign exchange earnings. Regrettably, this figure does not reflect the true potential of mining and our mineral resources,' she was quoted as saying. On May 30, 2025, her presidency responded to the viral posts by labelling them 'fake news' (archived here). Fake news! — Namibian Presidency (@NamPresidency) April 15, 2025 Namibia's presidency reiterated this to AFP Fact Check on June 4, 2025. 'The Namibian government has not at any point cancelled any contracts with investors from the United States in the mining, oil and gas sectors,' said press secretary Alfredo Hengari. He added that 'it is not the policy of the government to cancel contracts that are binding'. A US State Department spokesperson told AFP Fact Check on June 11, 2025: 'The online claims that Namibia has cut off the United States from mining and gas are false.' Contrary to the claim, Namibia has become a global exploration hotspot with several international gas and oil companies actively exploring its coasts in recent years (archived here). At the start of 2025, American firm Chevron announced that it had not found commercially viable gas in Namibia's Orange Basin (archived here). By April, however, the company confirmed it would continue exploration in the Walvis Basin in 2026 or 2027, where firms including TotalEnergies, Shell, and Galp have made discoveries. Similarly, British multinational Shell deemed its Namibia oil discoveries uncommercial due to high gas levels in January. However, France's TotalEnergies believes it can handle these geological challenges, but its investment decision hinges on maintaining production costs below $20 per barrel (archived here). Another American corporation, ExxonMobil, is investigating (here and here) the country's potential in the Namibe Basin (archived here and here). The state itself, through the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR), holds a 10 percent stake in its exploration partnership with TotalEnergies (50.5 percent), QatarEnergy (30 percent) and Impact Oil and Gas (9.5 percent) (archived here). As a top uranium producer, Namibia also announced in April 2025 that it will launch talks this year on its first nuclear energy plant, seeking to exploit its rich natural wealth to transform its economy (archived here).
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Political fights put spotlight on leader of Washington's largest public employee union
Mike Yestramski, president of the Washington Federation of State Employees, could not get a meeting with Gov. Bob Ferguson so he "called" during a March protest in the governor's office. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero) Mike Yestramski has enjoyed a low profile through much of his six years leading Washington state's largest public sector union. Not anymore. His very public clashes with the governor during a contentious 2025 legislative session put a political spotlight on the president of the Washington Federation of State Employees. The union represents 54,000 state government, higher education and public service workers. Ferguson and Democratic state senators — longtime union allies — wanted to furlough workers and make them pay more for health care coverage. They also called for curtailing programs and closing Rainier School, a rehabilitation center in Pierce County for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, moves certain to trigger layoffs. Yestramski and legions of fellow union members turned out in force to oppose these moves. Clad in the union's green t-shirts, they rallied on the Capitol steps, demonstrated at the governor's office and patrolled the hallways outside the House and Senate chambers to pigeonhole lawmakers through the final hours of session. The muscular, pony-tailed labor leader was ubiquitous, rebellious and, in the end, victorious in some of the most pitched political battles of the session. And he didn't hold back with rhetorical slights against the new governor, calling Ferguson a 'pseudo Democrat' at rallies and 'Ratfink Robbie Ferguson' on Facebook. The swipes further brightened the exposure of the union's demands. Yestramski said in a recent interview in the union's Olympia headquarters that he prefers 'adult conversations' to resolve differences, though he realizes what occurred in the legislative session 'may have painted a slightly different impression.' But the gravity of the situation demanded a strong retort, he said. 'I generally believe that collaboration tends to be more successful than aggression,' he said. 'But that takes all of the parties involved to do that.' Yestramski, 45, was elected to a two-year term as federation president in 2019. Then 39, Yestramski said he was reportedly the federation's youngest ever president. Yestramski was reelected in 2021 and 2023. He plans to seek a fourth term this fall. He started his public service career as a homeless outreach social worker in Baltimore. He came to Washington in 2013, taking a job as a psychiatric social worker at Western State Hospital. An active union member, Yestramski said he pursued the leadership post because he was 'just getting really sick of seeing my friends and co-workers getting beat up, really, really bad.' 'People ended up in ICUs. People lost digits,' he said. Jobs at the hospital can still be dangerous, but Yestramski credited CEO Charlie Southerland for working collaboratively with the union to come up with solutions to bolster worker safety. The following interview was lightly edited for clarity and length. Have you had a chance to chat with or meet face-to-face with the governor? I have not. You've called him a few names. How do you feel about him now? While his rhetoric during the session I didn't love, he did ultimately sign the budget that funds our contracts and did not contain furloughs. As far as what he actually did, he didn't harm us, which was the fear based on statements that were coming out. For that, I'm thankful. You did say you felt scammed and that workers were lied to because Ferguson's proposals didn't align with his pledges to labor leaders in the 2024 campaign. Do you think WFSE members now feel they can trust him to have their backs? As a social worker — this is going to be related, I promise — the therapeutic school that I was brought up in was behaviorism. One of its basic tenets is, 'I don't really care what your motivations are, as long as you do the right thing.' To that end, whether it was genuinely in his heart or whether it was due to the political pressure of our members, whatever reason it was that got that outcome, the outcome is what was important. As far as our members trusting him, obviously, folks are going to be a little bit hesitant. This isn't just the governor. This is any elected official where we have to continue to make it known that we're paying attention, that we'll show up and that we have expectations of our elected officials. When we do that in large enough crowds, they listen and they do the right thing. In the end, did Ferguson do the right thing enough to secure the union's backing for reelection? That's three-and-a-half years away. In sports terms, there's going to be a lot more game film to review by the time that decision comes up. Enough time for a reconciliation? As far as he and I, personally, I can't say. My door is always open, even if it's to say I don't like you, right? I don't care if it's me. I believe the narrative got a little bit into a personal thing between me and Bob. I need to know that there are people in the governor's office that he will listen to, who can make sure that our main issues are being heard and addressed. Do you feel that way today? I feel that now more than I did two months ago. Would I like to have a better relationship with the governor? I don't want to be in a feud with our governor. You're probably not going to call him a 'ratfink' again. Probably not.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bennett re-elected Mayor in Bramwell, Pike in Athens
BRAMWELL — Two incumbent mayors in Mercer County will return to office. In the town of Bramwell, incumbent Mayor Grant Bennett overcame a challenge from two people Tuesday, including the former mayor, and was re-elected, according to unofficial returns. Bennet, who will begin his second-term as mayor, won with 71 votes. He was challenged by Rodney Holcomb who garnered 41 votes and by former Mayor Louise Stoker, who received 28 votes. 'It will be my second term. I am pleased with the results and I'm looking forward to another two years of trying to do some good work in the town,' Bennett said. Bennett, a retired member of the U.S. Air Force who is originally from Chattanooga, Tenn., said he didn't anticipate any major changes for the town over the next two years. However, one item he said that may be looked at is moving away from two-year terms for council to staggered four-year terms. 'I am pleased with the direction,' Bennett said. 'I don't foresee any changes. We hope to manage what we've got and improve it.' Bennett said tourism has been an important part of Bramwell for decades now. The town, which is known as the 'Home of the Millionaires,' gained fame for having the highest number of millionaires per capita in the United States during the late 1800s, with as many as 13 residing in the town during the early 20th century, according to the town's history. The annual tour of the homes of the millionaires continues to this very day. However, in more recent years, the town has been associated with the region's ATV tourism engine and serves as the local trailhead of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system. The results of two other contested races in the town were razor thin, and their final outcome could hinge upon the canvassing and certification of votes, which are set for June 16 and June 18. In the race for recorder, Lathe Ellis received 61 votes and Susan Lance Troutner garnered 60 votes. In the race for town council, five candidates were vying for eight seats on town council with one race being separated by two votes. The apparent winners in unofficial returns were newcomer Sharon Workman, 102 votes; incumbent Jackie Shahan, 81 votes; newcomer Don Thompson, 76 votes; incumbent Dennis Marcello, 65 votes; and newcomer Elizabeth Brown Tillery, 62 votes. Close behind at 60 votes was incumbent Kelley Murphy Eller. Incumbent Charles Hawthorne had 57 votes; and Perry Love garnered 21 votes. The election results were posted on the town of Bramwell's Facebook page and were confirmed Wednesday to the Daily Telegraph by Bramwell Town Clerk Crystal Bralley. In the town of Athens, the races in Tuesday's election were uncontested. Incumbent Athens Mayor Timothy Peak ran unopposed and was re-elected with 29 votes, according to the unofficial returns. Two seats were up on the Athens Town Council and the winners were Travis Pace, 21 votes and James Blankenship, 27 votes. The election results will be canvassed on Tuesday, June 17, according to Athens Town Clerk Debra Shorter. Shorter said the candidates will be sworn in during the first council meeting in July. The town of Athens is home to Concord University. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
