District 5 council race: Ryan Alter seeks a second term against three challengers. Here is his record

South and Southwest Austin's District 5 has a four-way race on the Nov. 3 ballot. Incumbent Ryan Alter is seeking a second term against David Weinberg, Farrah Abraham and Liz Brink, KUT reported. The district has more than 95,000 residents. KUT reported that the main issues are the cost of living, the budget after voters rejected Prop Q last year, the $295 million bond package and homelessness, including the future of the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center.

The candidates

According to KUT:

• Ryan Alter, the incumbent, points to a larger senior homestead exemption, a ban on hidden landlord fees and two years of fewer people entering homelessness. He supports the bonds, opposes Prop I and opposes Flock license-plate cameras. KUT reported that a Flock renewal was pulled from a council agenda after he opposed it.
• David Weinberg led the Texas League of Conservation Voters for six years. He supports the bonds, takes no position on Prop I and has criticized spending by Alter's office.
• Farrah Abraham, a former reality TV star, supports Prop I, wants to shift homelessness money toward recovery and mental health care, and says she wants more transparency on new debt.
• Liz Brink did not respond to KUT's interview request.

On the office spending questions, Alter told KUT his office followed city policy and voluntarily repaid the disputed amounts. He told the Austin Chronicle the council "got Prop Q wrong."

What our records show about Alter

Attendance and votes. Our District 5 page counts 2,376 roll calls in our records. Alter was absent for 10, an attendance rate of 99.6%. He voted no 13 times and was with the majority on 85.9% of divided votes.

The bond package was his item. Alter was lead sponsor of the May 28 resolution that told staff to draft a November 2026 bond package. It passed 6-2, with one abstention and two members absent. On Aug. 4 he was among the eight who voted yes to move it toward the ballot.

Items he led that passed. His sponsored items include a monthly public report on police overtime, a dashboard on homelessness service contracts, a parks maintenance fund paid for by a special-event fee, a policy to limit emissions from city-owned gas peaker plants and protections for parkland facing condemnation.

One that failed. In August 2025, his resolution on budget guidance, which included support for the 2026 bond process, failed 5-3, with two abstentions and one absence.

Where he voted no. In March 2026 Alter and Council Member Vanessa Fuentes were the two no votes on changes to the city's lobbyist rules, which revised what counts as reportable contact with city officials.

Dog's Head. Alter voted yes on the Dog's Head development agreement and annexation in May and on the tax increment zone in July.

On audits. Alter has argued that the council's own audit work makes Prop I unnecessary, KUT reported. Our records list him as a sponsor of the City Auditor's 2027 audit plan, which the Audit and Finance Committee advanced on Oct. 21. We cover that plan here.

Money, side by side

Our District 5 campaign finance page shows Alter has raised $813,221 in itemized contributions since November 2022. His 30-day pre-election report, through Sept. 24, shows $8,016 raised, $19,280 spent and $158,456 on hand. Among employers his contributors list, Endeavor Real Estate Group is the most common, at $46,014 across 102 contributions. KUT has reported that Endeavor will develop Dog's Head. Austin limits contributions to $450 per person per election. We report these figures next to his votes for context. They do not show why he voted as he did. Our pages cover sitting members only, so the challengers' filings are not included.

What's next

Early voting runs through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3. Our early voting guide covers the rest of the city ballot.