District 3 runoff: José Velásquez falls short of a majority and faces Neha Shah on Dec. 12

Council Member José Velásquez will have to win a runoff to keep his East Austin seat. In unofficial results updated at 7:56 a.m. Wednesday, he had roughly 47% of the vote in District 3, and Neha Shah had roughly 25%, Community Impact reported. The two meet again Dec. 12.

Velásquez was closer to a majority before Election Day ballots were counted. In early voting he had 49% to Shah's 25%, KUT reported in a story updated at 1:09 a.m. Gavino Fernandez Jr., Brock Skinner and Eduardo Romero split the rest.

The numbers are unofficial until the council canvasses them.

What the race was about

Much of the campaign turned on Dog's Head, the 2,600-acre development in southeast Travis County anchored by Amazon's robotics division, which the council approved this year. Axios reported that all four challengers criticized the council's support for the project. Shah, a tech entrepreneur, told KUT the May vote led her to run. According to the Austin Current, Shah and Fernandez said the city must do more to prevent displacement of longtime residents.

Velásquez told KUT his priority is affordable housing and that Dog's Head will grow the tax base.

How Velásquez voted on Dog's Head

Our records show a split record.

• May 21: yes. He voted for the 45-year development agreement, the interlocal agreement with Travis County and the annexation of about 2,614 acres. Each passed 9-0.
• July 23: no. He voted against the ordinance creating the tax increment zone and the amended development agreement, which passed 7-3, and against the zone's financing plan and county funding agreement, which passed 8-2.

On Oct. 8 the council met in closed session about a lawsuit challenging the tax zone. A Nov. 5 agenda item would send part of the zone's revenue to housing and parks; our story explains it.

How the rest of the ballot lined up with his votes

Two citywide results bear on his record.

• Prop I. Velásquez opposed the audit measure, calling it "redundancy," KUT reported. Voters rejected it, 55% to 45%. Our Prop I story has the details.
• The bonds. Velásquez was a co-sponsor of the May 28 resolution that asked staff to develop a November bond package. On Aug. 4 he was one of three no votes on moving the $295 million parks and library package toward the ballot, with Mayor Kirk Watson and Council Member Marc Duchen. Voters approved both bond measures with about 60% or more. Our bond story covers what happens next.

Other parts of his record

Attendance. Our District 3 page counts 2,376 roll calls. Velásquez was absent for 62, an attendance rate of 97.4%. He was with the majority on 79.5% of divided votes.

Items he led that passed include resolutions to extend and add homestead preservation districts, an encampment management dashboard and a Native American and Indigenous Quality of Life Commission. Our story on a proposed southeast Austin homestead zone shows where that work stands.

Money, side by side

Our District 3 campaign finance page lists Armbrust & Brown and Endeavor Real Estate Group, the Dog's Head developer, among the employers most often named by Velásquez's contributors, as we reported in our pre-election guide. He told KUT his "obligation is to the people of District 3." These figures sit next to his votes for context only. He voted for the project in May and against key parts of it in July, and the records do not explain either vote. Our pages do not include challengers' filings.

What's next

• Mid-November: The council canvasses the results.
• Dec. 12: Runoff. Early voting dates and polling places will be posted at votetravis.gov.
• January: The winner takes the seat for a four-year term. The draft 2027 calendar lists the first regular meeting on Jan. 6.