Our Editorial Board Lives Here
Our volunteer editorial board is drawn from members of North Austin neighborhood associations or other grassroots community organizations located throughout District 7. Board members include:
Kata Carbone, Allandale
An Austinite since 1977, Kata settled in Allandale in 1984 and has served on various committees of the Allandale Neighborhood Association over the years including bylaws, communication, events, nominations, membership, safety, and zoning, and currently serves as the association’s vice president. A UT-Austin retiree, Kata’s interests include cultural cuisine, genealogy, and exploring the world.
Toni Diaz, Harris Ridge
Chris Gregory, Wooten
Chris Gregory and his wife grew up in Pflugerville, went to UT, and have lived in Wooten since 2009. Chris is an educator, and enjoys running, cycling, and music. He serves as president of Wooten Neighborhood Association.
Dale Henry, Brentwood
Dale Henry and his wife have lived in Brentwood for over 20 years and have two children. Dale has been on the Brentwood Neighborhood Steering Committee for 10+ years and is current President of the Brentwood Neighborhood Association.
Kernan Hornburg, Walnut Crossing
Kernan Hornburg is a born and raised Austinite and is the proud father of a teenage son. Kernan moved to the neighborhood of Walnut Crossing in 1999 and is President of the Walnut Crossing Neighborhood Association and has been on the board since 2001. Kernan is very active in his community and encourages civic involvement. He serves as Precinct 263 Chair for the Travis County Democratic Party (TCDP), is a member of the TCDP’s Finance Council and has been an avid supporter, advisor and campaign manager for candidates from Austin City Council to the U.S. Congress.
Francoise Luca, Gracywoods
Francoise Luca first came to Austin to attend the University of Texas, and moved away several years after graduating, to purse a marketing career. Francoise returned to Austin in 2003 and purchased a home in Gracywoods. She got involved with the River Oaks Elementary PTA, and went on to participate in the middle school and high school PTA’s serving on the board and holding other key positions. Francoise is an active member of St. Albert the Great Catholic church where she co-chairs a large social ministry. She also co-owns a finance company and a popular business Meetup group. Francoise is currently serving her third term as president of the Gracywoods Neighborhood Association.
Robert Meadows, Walnut Creek
Robert Meadows is president of the Walnut Creek Neighborhood Association.
Elizabeth Ray, North Shoal Creek
A resident of North Austin since 2004, Elizabeth Ray’s community involvement has included urban development, education, and promoting opportunities for young athletes. She has served the community as a North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association (NSCNA) Development Committee member, Math Pentathlon club leader, advisor to the board of the Trojan Youth Lacrosse Association, and is currently the NSCNA president. As an information technology project manager (IT PM) for many years, Elizabeth has had the opportunity to prove capability in organizing resolution of issues across diverse stakeholder groups.
Mary Rudig, Gracywoods, editor of the North Austin Community Newsletter
Mary Rudig moved to Austin in 1992 and rented in North Austin (the Skyview and NACA neighorhoods). In 2007, Mary and her husband bought a house in North Quail Hollow, which is part of the Gracywoods Neighborhood. Mary has been a Block Captain for the Gracywoods Watch since 1998, and is also the current CLASP Watch Trainer for North Austin. In her spare time, Mary is the web administrator for www.lovenorthaustin.com and the current editor for the North Austin Community Newsletter, a citizen-led e-newsletter that has been serving North Austin neighborhoods since December 2007.
Steven Walden, Scofield Farms
Steve Walden is owner of Steve Walden Consulting, headquartered in North Austin. Steve is a nationally recognized expert in water regulatory affairs and water treatment and provides services to water supply development projects and university-based water research programs. On the civic side, Steve is past board member and chair of the Scofield Farms HOA and remains active in neighborhood projects and is active in many programs at St Albert the Great Catholic Church. Steve is presently working with a group of US-based volunteers to develop a safe water supply for 15,000 people in Cevicos, Dominican Republic. Last but not least- Steve is overjoyed at the prospect of having a city council member who will listen to our North Austin neighborhoods.
Steven Zettner is the editor. He is not a member of the editorial board, is unaffiliated with any candidate, and will not be endorsing. Zettner also serves as president of the community organization Sustainable Neighborhoods of North Central Austin (SN), which is a non-political group that plants trees on Burnet Rd.
We wear on our sleeve our affinity for established residents and small business people – those with the most invested in their communities. We do not differentiate between homeowners or renters.
We Want to Share Information
AustinDistrict7.org was founded so that residents in our district would have a place, unaffiliated with any candidate or outside interest group, to share assessments of candidates based on our local issues. We want to do it in a thoughtful way that recognizes the trade-offs inherent in public policy decision-making. But we also want to raise the profile of what’s important to North Austin.
Here’s the Rules for Submitting News and Opinion
AustinDistrict7 will gratefully receive any news content or leads submitted by citizen reporters. We reserve the right to edit content. Please submit news or leads to editor@austindistrict7.org.
AustinDistrict7 will accept editorial drafts if they are:
1. Courteous,
2. Topically relevant to North Austin issues, the campaign, or candidates
3. Support arguments with factual or other useful detail,
4. Shed new light not previously covered by other material.
If we aren’t prepared to publish a piece, we’ll explain our reasons or, if time permits, provide more information to strengthen the draft.
Opinion pieces may endorse a candidate. But we may not publish every endorsement – we will be looking carefully to endorsements that shed new light on the issues or the candidate.
While we don’t yet have a maximum length rule, be aware that most people don’t read long articles – 600 words is a good rule of thumb. Submit editorials to editor@austindistrict7.org.
AustinDistrict7 may change editorial rules or modify content at any time without notice.
AustinDistrict7 reserves the right to endorse, or refrain from endorsing, a candidate. Any such decision will be made by the full editorial board after candidate forums in September.