AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the Austin City Council elected District 1's Natasha Harper-Madison as the city's mayor pro tem.
The role is largely a ceremonial one, with the mayor pro tem running City Council meetings whenever Mayor Steve Adler is absent from the dais. Under the city's charter, the mayor pro tem "shall act as mayor during the absence or disability of the mayor, and shall have power to perform every act the mayor could perform if present."
The role was previously filled by former council member Delia Garza, who was elected as Travis County Attorney in November's election.
"This year council will take on some of the biggest unsettled issues in our city... issues that are settled in institutional racism," Harper-Madison said Wednesday.
Speculation over Adler and a potential role in the Biden administration fueled unique interest in the mayor pro tem position this year. If Adler, who is term-limited and cannot run for re-election, were to vacate the mayor's chair, the mayor pro tem would serve as acting mayor until a special election could be held.
In December, District 4's Greg Casar indicated his desire to seek the role, with support from several council members. Since that post on Dec. 17, growing dissent had virtually eliminated Casar from serious consideration. Casar said he would support a "female candidate from the Eastern Crescent" - either newly-elected Vanessa Fuentes, or Harper-Madison.
Under a compromise proposed by Mayor Steve Adler, Harper-Madison will serve in the role for 2021, while District 10's Alison Alter will take over the role in 2022.
"I'm very excited to have the support of my colleagues to serve in that role myself in 2022," Alter said. "I think that we as a council as a city have many, many challenges in front of us and it is really important that we work together, that we work in unity and that we collaborate and move forward together."
