Jimmy Flannigan recently won the election for city council to represent District 6. Voting was held on Nov. 8, and Flannigan beat former councilman Don Zimmerman with a 57-58% win after losing to him two years ago by about 200 votes.

The primary focus of Flannigan’s campaign was how to aid traffic and congestion, specifically on Anderson Mill Road, Duval Road, McNeil Road, and Lakeline Boulevard/Neenah Avenue. Flannigan plans on using the Northwest Austin Coalition — where he is a co-founder and organizer — to engage residents to create  safe and connected infrastructure. He is extremely opposed to Zimmerman’s plan to build a road through the Balcones Canyonlands, as many people live in the area.

The Facebook page, Preserve Our Preserve, has shared articles discussing Zimmerman’s many lawsuits, poor reputation, and his plan to build the highway through the Canyonlands. Although their posts don’t explicitly praise Flannigan and his ideas, the animosity against Zimmerman may have been enough to give Flannigan the win.

Flannigan also discussed restricting the rising cost of utility bills with a new business model for Austin Water that would use the sales from the  water to fund the infrastructure, along with increasing transparency with the public by separating the uses of funds by utility and non-utility.

The new councilman also plans to decrease property crime (especially car break-ins), through educating civilians about how to keep their cars safe and by expanding the Austin Police Department and neighborhood patrols.

Along with his work in the Northwest Austin Coalition, Flannigan is also a member of the Austin Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee, as well as the past president of the Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Flannigan will be the first gay city council member in Austin.

Flannigan’s term will begin early in January. For more information, visit www.jimmyflannigan.com/ for more information.