"I'm in": Watson announces re-election bid for Austin mayor

AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin Mayor Kirk Watson officially announced his re-election bid Wednesday, becoming the fourth candidate in an increasingly crowded mayoral field for voters to decide on in November.

Watson, who previously served as mayor from 1997 to 2001 and then served as a state senator for more than a decade, is currently in the midst of a transitional term - after Austin voters decided to move the city's mayoral election to line up with presidential election years. The candidate selected in November will serve a full four-year term.

"Working closely with this City Council and City Manager, I'm proud to have helped us restore efficient, effective basic services while also helping put us on a new path to tackle some of Austin's biggest long-term challenges," Watson said in a statement Wednesday. "I'll keep working to ensure that City Hall consistently delivers what Austinites expect and deserve."

Watson narrowly won election to his current term in 2022. After coming in second in the general election, Watson and former state representative Celia Israel advanced to a runoff election; Watson won the seat by a margin of 30 votes.

He's the fourth candidate to officially declare for the race - former Austin City Council member Kathie Tovo, GAVA executive director Carmen Llanes Pulido, and the former executive director of Central Texas Interfaith, Doug Greco, are also looking to gain voters' approval in November.

According to Watson's campaign website, which went live Wednesday morning, eight members of the City Council are endorsing his re-election bid, in addition to a number of other area elected officials.

"With a full term in office, my primary goals will be to create more affordability through additional housing reforms; to fill vacancies in the police department and continue to enhance emergency services; to make further improvements to the city’s approach to fighting homelessness; and to ensure that Project Connect and other big infrastructure investments, like the airport expansion, are executed with speed and efficiency," a statement on Watson's campaign website reads.