Ann Howard Seeks Precinct 3 Travis County Commissioner's Seat

AUSTIN, TX — The 2020 election is heating up across Texas, and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the outcome of key local races.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns, and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Ann Howard seeks Precinct 3 Travis County Commissioner's seat.

Age: 57.

Campaign website: www.annforcommissioner.com

Position sought: Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 3

Political affiliation: Democratic Party

Family: Married to John Howard for 30 plus years – we met at UT Law School!
Children – Patricia, Susan and John III are all graduates of Anderson High School and working professionals in Austin and NYC.

Does anyone n your family work in politics or government?

My husband works in community and government affairs for Dell Technologies.

Education: 3 degrees from UT Austin: BA in Sociology, Masters in Public Affairs from the LBJ School and JD from the UT School of Law.

Occupation: Recently resigned as a non-profit executive.

Why are you seeking elective office?

To provide effective leadership that helps our community and this region rebound from COVID-19, find sustainable solutions to traffic, clean water, unchecked development, and needed criminal justice reform. I want to make sure Travis County is a great place to grow up and grow old for all of us.

What is the single most pressing issue facing the community, and what do you intend on doing about it?

Impacts of climate change. Climate change impacts how we prepare for wildfire at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and how protect our water supplies. I will ensure there are appropriate funding levels for these critical issues—even with the current revenue cap placed on the counties by the state.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My years of work building coalitions to expand affordable housing, wage disparities and healthcare make me the candidate with the most recent experience to address the complex challenges facing Travis County.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I have a multi-tiered platform that connects the dots between transportation efficiencies, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, and healthcare. We can’t address these issues as if they aren’t interconnected — they are.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

1. Built a coalition of public and private organizations to effectively end veteran homelessness in Travis County.
2. Used data to deliver outcomes that lead to double federal funds to tackle homelessness in Travis County.
3. Ensured that affordable housing and wage disparity were top priorities at various levels of government.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Don’t take yourself so seriously.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will give it my all to make government work better for more people and provide leadership that both supports a robust economy but doesn’t allow growth to ruin what love about living here.