Get Email Updates

The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association endorsed Chris Riley for Austin City Council Place 1 on Thursday evening, citing his tireless effort on behalf of not just downtown residents, but all of Austin. Riley founded the organization and served as its president for five years, during which time he led the revitalization and diversification of the downtown residential population.

DANA board member Greg Anderson affirmed his strong support for Riley:

For me, supporting Chris Riley is a no-brainer. I think out of all the candidates running, Chris best understands the problems which we as a society are facing. Chris understands the need for sustainable communities: walkable, dense and vibrant places where there are options other than driving.

Officers of DANA were eager to endorse Riley not only because of his integral role in creating the neighborhood association, but also because of his strong platform on economic, environmental, and transportation issues. As DANA board member Jude Galligan said of Riley, “I support Chris because I believe it takes a true urbanist to be a true environmentalist. Chris is widely respected as thoughtful and practical, and I’ve never witnessed Chris pander to any group.”

A long-time downtown resident, Riley helped start the organization in the mid-1990s when he realized that there was no existing group to voice concerns of folks living in the area. Riley himself lives in an old historic home in the northwest corner of downtown, on San Antonio street. The house was built in 1890 for the Burke family, as detailed on the oldaustin.org website that Riley researched and assembled for the Old Austin Neighborhood Association. Riley restored the house to its historical luster, and now shares it with his partner of fourteen years, Denise, as well as two upstairs tenants.