** Note: Organizations and affiliations are provided for identification purposes only. Better Austin Today is a community-based coalition of individuals with an independent general purpose political action committee.
Hill Abell is president of the Bicycle Sport Shop, a specialty bicycle retailer with two locations in Austin celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Hill has worked on bicycle access issues for off-road and road riding here and across the country, and believes that the universal use of bicycles can contribute to the health and vitality of our citizens.
Mary Arnold is a long-time Austin community leader committed to sound planning and environmental protection. Mary currently serves as a board member of the West Austin Neighborhood Group and member at large on the Golf Advisory Board. Mary is a past member of Austin’s Planning Commission, Parks Board, Water and Wastewater Commission, and Environmental Board. Mary also previously served on the board of the Save Our Springs Alliance and the Hill Country Conservancy.
Johnny Barnett is the founder of local business advocacy and marketing company Austin Unique and is a long time Save Our Springs Alliance volunteer.
Bill Bunch has practiced environmental law in Austin for 20 years. He is Executive Director of the Save Our Springs Alliance and currently serves as the social chair for the the Zilker Neighborhood Association. Bill was a co-founder of the Save Our Springs Coalition and co-author of Austin’s voter-initiated Save Our Springs ordinance.
Scooter Cheatham is an architect, planner, photographer and artist with a bachelors degrees in architecture and a masters in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a former planner with the Texas General Land Office and was co-director of the Matagorda Bay Estuarine Resource Management Project, an interdisciplinary project for development of land management policy for the Texas Gulf Coast. He produced the first environmental analysis of the Bull Creek Watershed, co-authored the original Hyde Park Neighborhood Plan of 1984, and authored other neighborhood plans. He is founder and president of Useful wild Plants, Inc., a groundbreaking regional economic botany study of the botanical resources of the southern United States and northern Mexico. He is currently the president of Responsible Growth for Windsor Park Neighborhood.
Harold Daniel is a customer support engineer for a local software developer. He has been active in Austin's environmental community since 2001, including serving as President of Save Barton Creek Association in 2005 and 2006. He is co-owner of AustinAction.org, which has helped to provide web resources to several community groups since 2003.
Lee Daniel is a cinematographer and co-founder of the Austin Film Society. Lee is best known for his work with Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater, from Slacker and Dazed and Confused to Fast Food Nation. Lee is also known for his documentary work, including Margaret Brown’s Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt, and Laura Dunn’s The Unforseen.
Jim Duncan is president of a consulting firm that specializes in revising zoning codes for a national public clientele. He started his career as a city planner with the City of Austin in 1961 after graduating from UT and was the City's land development services director in the early 1980s. It was during his tenure with the City that the comprehensive watershed, neighborhood compatibility, Capitol view protection, parkland dedication and hill country roadway ordinances were all adopted. He is also a past president of the American Planning Association and co-author of "Growth Management Principles and Practices."
Seth Fowler
Richard Franklin is a married father of four who spent 11 years in the Air Force as a Military Training Instructor, an Avionics Technician and an Air Traffic Controller. He has owned nightclubs and restaurants and most recently has been a financial advisor for five years. Richard served as the president of the Black Austin Democrats for two years and was the Vice-Chair for Membership for the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats. Currently Richard serves on the steering committee for Austin's Center for Peace and Justice and is on the boards of the Downtown Lions Club and the Central Texas chapter of the ACLU-TX.
Jeff Jack is an Architect and neighborhood advocate who has served as President of the Austin Neighborhoods Council (ANC) and is currently President of the Zilker Neighborhood Association. Jeff has also served on an AISD Bond Oversight Committee, Capital Metro Strategic Advisory Committee and City of Austin Affordable Housing Taskforce, Annexation Transition Team, Community Court Advisory Committee, Town Lake Park stakeholder group. His community experience also includes working as Executive Assistant to City Council member Beverly Griffith for several years..He is presently on the Board of SaveTownLake.org, The Central Texas Clean Air Force and has represented the ANC with the Austin Area Human Services Association.
David Kobierowski has built a successful corporate career in technology consulting for over 14 years. Outside of his career, David is actively involved in the Austin Community as a community organizer and activist. He's a talk show host on KOOP Community Radio, producer of a Public Access Community TV show TruthAustin, board member of the ACLU of Central Texas, Co-Chair of 1st Unitarian Universalist Church Public Affairs Forum, Board member of True Blue 10, Democratic Precinct Chair #262, and Co-Founder of Texans for Obama.
Fred Lewis is the founder and President of Texans Together Education Fund, Inc. He has worked as a public interest attorney, campaign finance reform advocate, non-profit leader, and community organizer. He also has worked as a volunteer leader in numerous political campaigns.
Hope Morrison is a co-founder and current president of Responsible Growth for Northcross. She serves on the boards of Texas Parent to Parent and Petite Ecole Internationale, leads two Girl Scout troops and is a member of the Wooten Neighborhood Association. Hope is a health care policy and programs consultant with a current focus on public sector business development for managed care companies. She has a masters degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Brian Rodgers is a local real estate investor leading the effort to repeal tax subsidies for the Domain Shopping Mall and retail subsidies in general. Past efforts involved campaign finance reform and open records.
Debbie Russell has engaged in many coalition-building efforts — from anti-war to media reform to water issues — and with a broad range of communities, including the Austin Democracy Coalition, Austin Against War & Texans United Against War, the Austin Center for Peace & Justice, the Austin Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Texas Fair Trade Coalition, Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, Free Press, Public Citizen-TX, the AustinSpokescouncil, Peace Action-TX and CodePink-Austin. She has worked on both issue and candidate campaigns. Debbie currently serves as president of the board of the Central Texas chapter of the ACLU-TX, focusing on police accountability and open government. She also serves on the City of Austin's Public Safety Task Force.
Patricia Seeger is a local real estate broker and long-time children's rights advocate. For many years she worked at protecting at-risk youth as a community liaison with the local probation department and Children's Shelter. Since moving to Austin, Patricia has focused on responsible growth and property owner's rights. Currently she serves as secretary of the Jester Homeowners' Association and as vice president of the 2222 Coalition of Neighborhood Associations.
Clinton Smith has been a leader in the Gray Panthers since 2000. He spent 20 years in federal service with the US Civil Service Commission and the US Office of Management and Budget as well as for the State of North Caroline and the Texas Employment and Workforce Commission. Clinton has served on the boards of Family Eldercare; HousingWorks; Campaigns for People, Austin Area Human Services Association, Community Action Network, and the Central Texas Chapter of the ACLU. A former Marine, he holds a bachelors degree in Education from Lincoln University.
Marcelo Tafoya is Co-chair of the LULAC National Civil Rights Committee and LULAC District 7 Co-chair. He co-founded the Austin Tejano Music Coalition and the Tejano Artist Music Museum. He currently serves as Treasurer, Fair Vote PAC of Austin. Marcelo is a Pecan Springs Neighborhood Association member, serving on the neighborhood Safety Taskforce.
Randall Terrell is an attorney, Political Director for Equality Texas, and former Chair of the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association.
Roy Waley, a native of Central Texas, has been an Austin realtor for 15 years. He is a former president of the North Wood NA and an initial member of the Austin Metropolitan Trails Council. Currently Roy serves as Vice Chair of the Austin Regional Group of the Sierra Club.