AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Could Kirk Watson be Austin's once and future Mayor?
The race for the city's top elected position is starting to take shape, with roughly three and a half months until voters will decide on the mayor's race and five seats on the Austin City Council.
Candidates can't officially file for the ballot until next week, but campaigns were required to file their mid-year campaign finance reports on July 15. Those reports are providing some insight into how the race is shaping up.
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Watson, who previously served as Austin's mayor from 1997-2001, has raised nearly $1 million in donations so far. A distant second is State Rep. Celia Israel, who has raised just over $250,000; real estate broker Jennifer Virden, who previously ran for the District 10 council seat, has raised $84,000.
University of Texas student Phil Brual, Anthony Bradshaw, Erica Nix, and Gary Spellman also filed reports with little or no fundraising activity.
All seven candidates, assuming they do file to enter the race, will be vying to replace Steve Adler, who has served as Austin's mayor since 2015 and is term-limited under the city's charter.
One name notably absent from the pool of candidates is that of current District 9 council member Kathie Tovo, who announced on social media over the weekend that she would not be seeking the mayor's office.
Tovo is term-limited in her District 9 council seat, along with District 3's Pio Renteria and District 5's Ann Kitchen, meaning at least four new members will be elected to the council dais this November. In addition, District 1's Natasha Harper-Madison and District 8's Paige Ellis are seeking re-election to their second terms.
Election Day is set for Tuesday, November 8, with early voting getting underway on Monday, October 24.