Transcript
Bronin X: All right, Mr. Brock Skinner, welcome to the Real Texas Radio podcast. Why don't you tell us about yourself and your race for the Austin City Council?
vote4brock: Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate you having me on. So thank you. My name is Brock Skinner. I've been in Austin for about 12 years now. I decided to run for city council because over those 12 years, I've watched the city deteriorate and get... exponentially more expensive.
vote4brock: while also getting very dangerous. at just about the same rate. so decided to throw my name in the hat and give my community just a little bit of a different flavor.
Bronin X: Awesome. And you definitely have an uphill battle. and From my perspective, you are challenging an incumbent who self -identifies on on the Austin website as a...
Bronin X: community activist and and a thought leader. As far as I can tell, no job. doesn't seem to have ever held a job. He's 46 years old and lives with his mother. That's what I'm reading online or or his address has not been.
Bronin X: verified. So... um going Going back to public safety. I just saw that the Austin Central Library, are they now going to have a dedicated police force at that library?
vote4brock: They are right now. If you travel over to where the library is you can already see that increased presence. If you've ever taken a trip inside of the library, it's very immediate to the reason why.
vote4brock: um It is filled with people who have anywhere from four to 15 bags around them. It doesn't smell very good in there. if you unfortunately have to get in the elevator you pretty much need to hold your breath and and it's just not a place where you would be able to drop your children off which is something that the citizens citizens of Austin should be able to do, especially for their main public library.
Bronin X: I agree. I haven't been down to Austin very recently with within the last year. i'm I'm going soon, actually, for a visit. but the The homelessness. I mean, it is it just as out of control as ever or or visible, very visible on the streets?
vote4brock: It absolutely is, especially here in District 3. You're seeing And it's heartbreaking. You can look out and my window and you'd see a man sitting in a parking lot. He's been there for about two and a half hours now, and it's 105 degrees out. It's not good for them, and it's not good for the people of Austin who would like to enjoy their streets.
vote4brock: and It is very heartbreaking to see.
Bronin X: Yeah, well, it looks like a lot of your challengers, it it seems like they are going to just be, if if any of them is elected or reelected. funding, tolerating the status quo. Austin just passed a huge...
Bronin X: X -Hike. Right. I think I read about it's going to be 285 bucks on average per homeowner in Austin. of an increase. And I think a lot of that went to homelessness.
Bronin X: It... I don't know if you have more insight on on this budget. Is there anything? any of this more spending that's actually going to be worthwhile or different or make an improvement on this issue.
vote4brock: Absolutely not. Over the last 10 years, Austin, the current city council, our current city leadership has poured billions of dollars into homelessness programs where They sound pretty on paper, but... When you look at the actual results, most of them are about 30 to 35 percent to target and they're getting those millions of dollars of contracts renewed with no discrepancy or anyone really standing in the way to say why aren't y 'all doing a little bit better homeless is
vote4brock: Asward spent more has only gotten worse. Um, If you look at... any to type in austin on tick tock and the majority of the videos are people who are around town and showing how bad it is.
Bronin X: I do. I follow some great accounts, some watchdogs in Austin. I think... ATX Data is a really good account on X. Austin Videos, he's all over the the public transit.
vote4brock: Mm -hmm.
Bronin X: at Cap Metro, is it? He's all over those buses.
vote4brock: Yes, very dangerous.
Bronin X: Yes. And you know you're originally from Dallas, is that correct?
vote4brock: That is correct.
Bronin X: So. I don't know if you've had any experience on the dart. But it seems very similar. Maybe it could be worse than Austin, honestly. i I don't have the numbers right in front of me. I'm more familiar with the the DART demographics and crime stats than I am Cap Metro.
vote4brock: Yeah, absolutely. So as i didn't grow up in austin i moved here when i was 18 and i've lived here ever since but as someone who did grow up in dallas utilizing the dart system i would get on there as a 12 year old 13 year old i was a bit of a skateboarder as a child And so we would travel to different areas in Dallas using the dart train and We were totally comfortable using that, but now... I visit home and I'm not comfortable using it as a 30 year old.
vote4brock: So you can see just in the last 15 years, whether it be Dallas or Austin. Things have gotten a lot worse. uh especially when you look at the the whole transit issue here in Austin. We spend so much. the but Our bus drivers are getting assaulted, spit on.
vote4brock: you can't get on a bus feeling safe. um One of my Running opponents actually was telling me a story about how a good friend of theirs was murdered on one of our buses.
vote4brock: so That just kind of tells you that. something needs to be done something needs to be changed and if you look at the major problems in Austin whether it be the unnecessary spending of City Council or how dangerous our streets and our public transit is It really all comes down.
vote4brock: to the da's office making sure that we're actually prosecuting these repeat offenders Because we have people breaking into our local businesses assaulting people on the streets assaulting our police officers and they're not being prosecuted they're back out on our streets the next day um Very recently, I think it was about a month ago, someone was arrested
vote4brock: They assaulted the police officer. And... Let out and two weeks later attacked a man with a hatchet at Home Depot. He's 79 and he is now in critical condition.
vote4brock: at one of our local hospitals
Bronin X: Wow. And. You know, you bring up a good point there, DA a Garza. but Soros DA, terrible, it doesn't seem to have any interest in... any meaningful prosecution of particularly repeat violent offenders.
Bronin X: Unfortunately, the city council... Can't do much about him. the bully pulpit, I guess. i the The Travis County commissioners, I don't know anything about them at all.
Bronin X: i'd Per state law, it's supposed to be the county that's handling all these mental patients and the homelessness. And I know. You see, I'm sure, citizens showing up to the city council meetings.
Bronin X: I'm sure they're emailing, calling, texting their counselors. you know what's going on with this visible homelessness in the city of Austin. I'm sure the counties probably also went on the grift.
Bronin X: ah pain to just continue this nonsense, grow homelessness. but You know, is that a ah point that maybe if elected, you might try to stress to your colleagues that it's really the county that's supposed to be handling this.
vote4brock: Yeah, absolutely. And kind of going back as well um although city council doesn't really have a say in people being prosecuted they don't have sway over the judges they're definitely not the district's attorney office but the current city council they support him they put out flyers for him. They campaign with him. They do not...
vote4brock: come out and speak against him. And it is very troubling to see that. as well as our so current city council. loves to vilify the police here in Austin. they just recently removed the 911 call center to make it independent, which is
vote4brock: not addressing the actual issue. The problem is that we're over 300 officers short here in Austin. when people are arrested or they assault our officers. They're let right back out on the street, which is just bringing the... entire morale of the department down.
vote4brock: It's We have some of the highest paid officers here in Texas, which is something I'm very proud of it is the capital of Texas and it should be policed well. Bye. Thanks. You can be very high paid, but who wants to police if...
vote4brock: There's nothing being done about your job.
Bronin X: Yeah, and it Correct me if I'm wrong, but the incumbent, Jose Velasquez, who, ah like I said, as far as I can tell, has never had a real job. lives with his mother at 46 years old.
Bronin X: He's chair of public safety. Is he chairing?
vote4brock: He absolutely is.
Bronin X: Right.
vote4brock: And it is something that... is very concerning because He loves to vilify the police. more than just about anybody else on the city council. um and that he if you listen to him speak all he does is preach affordability and action but he has voted yes on just about every single tax increase that they've put in front of them. He was a big supporter of Prop Q. If you're here in Austin, I'm sure you're very familiar with PropQ.
vote4brock: a major tax increase. And... The public overwhelmingly said no and he was a big supporter of brought to you.
Bronin X: Yes, most all of them were. i think Was it just Mark? Is it Dukin or Duchin, how you pronounce his last name?
vote4brock: who
Bronin X: I think maybe it was just him in the end who... came out against Prop Q. Thank God it it failed. As you mentioned, overwhelmingly, it it was a blowout. No. And just for the listeners, I talked a lot about it on the show, but... It was just going to be another $100 million dollars per year tax increase for for homelessness.
Bronin X: which was just going to grow the problem and not do anything to solve it. we're We're now doing... We're about to do the same thing in Dallas per the county commissioners. They want us to vote on a hundred.
Bronin X: $150 million dollars per year. solution to homelessness that won't do anything of the kind. Um, something I just wanted to give you a chance to tell us about your platform. like you know um Comprehensively, what what is your platform and and how are you going to be different than the incumbent or your challengers?
vote4brock: Yeah, absolutely. um I am not a politician. I have no political aspirations as well. I don't see a life in politics beyond this one office.
vote4brock: So I'm really just a citizen stepping up saying, now Things need to change. so My background is not in politics. I'm in business development.
vote4brock: uh my Real big strengths, I would say, have always been outreach. relationship building and contract negotiation which is something that is just right now and needed.
vote4brock: um It is enough of... the ideological spending. We're seeing that are homeless. I know it's Spoken a lot on that If you really break down the numbers, we're spending about $140 ,000 a year on each one of them.
vote4brock: which is absolutely insane we could be furnishing a brand new apartment for all of them But we won't do that because we all know that's not the problem. they These people do need treatment. and they need help.
vote4brock: And right now they're not getting it. And it's because we say. Hey, if you just move a little bit. we won't pick you up we're going to clean this area up but we're not doing that over there so head on over there in it and you'll be totally fine.
vote4brock: to keep harassing. the people of Austin. And you're seeing that as this... spending has only increased the spending towards our taxpaying citizens. The people who are fronting the bill for all of this has gone exponentially down.
vote4brock: I just This week, they cut funding for all adult sports leagues here in Austin. So if you are a taxpaying citizen, you like to participate in community events.
vote4brock: You can't now. But at the same time, city council is now trying to authorize a LinkedIn Learning Hub. and that contract is between 113 ,000 and 480 ,000.
vote4brock: And it's for the people at City Hall. If you don't know how to use LinkedIn already, you can watch it on a youtube video for free we do not need to be spending more of the public's money on this I understand the morning to learn how to use LinkedIn because I Imagine everyone on the current city council is going to be looking for a new job pretty soon here.
Bronin X: from From your lips to God's ears, let's hope. We we did see some good news. Paige Ellis, the hack. incumbent who was trying to override the term limit with signatures.
Bronin X: Thank God she failed. And I hope Jeff Bowen, I hope he gets in. I hope you get in. That would that would be two solid voices on the council. um I want to ask you about... How are you getting the word out? about your campaign
vote4brock: So I'd say a big... Part of it is. Social media, I'm heavy on X. but just face -to -face interactions with the people in my district. I haven't gone around looking for donors or asking for tons of money.
vote4brock: and it's because a big part of my platform is We need to cut the needless spending. We don't need to be spending more on our city, our city hall, and definitely not. the extravagant projects that they want to build to bring new people here, but the people who are currently here are the ones who are putting the bill for. so um
Bronin X: How many doors have you knocked on, may I ask?
vote4brock: I don't have an exact number. I'd say a couple hundred.
Bronin X: Okay, good. are Are you getting good reception from that? strategy.
vote4brock: As someone who's running as an independent in a very heavy ideological area as well. The people are very common sense and they know that we need to change course.
vote4brock: They see where Austin is going now. and Um... They know that It's not the city's job to be paying for a lot of the things it currently is. And that really is the big problem.
vote4brock: If the city... cut funding for a couple of the services that we spend hundreds of millions of dollars on with absolutely no visible results a private funder would come in I guarantee it. And if they wouldn't.
vote4brock: It's because it's not a viable solution anyways.
Bronin X: Right. Right. All right. Anything else that you want to... get the word out about about your campaign or anything else you want the the audience to know about you.
vote4brock: Amin. Not anything that jumps to mind. I am just very common. so
vote4brock: on things that are clearly not working. and just make sure that we can get our streets walkable and affordable.
Bronin X: it sounds that That sounds great. That sounds very good to me. And, you know, I see... I was looking at some of your other candidates, Gavin Fernandez.
Bronin X: Junior. It looks like, according to his ex... I will govern with a lens of diversity equity and inclusion. Okay, then you've got Eduardo.
Bronin X: Romero. I don't think his campaign is... very visible from from what I've been able to see. And then Nia Shah. and I I see that she has dignity for the homeless as one of her platforms on her website. That sounds to me like.
Bronin X: more homeless people, homelessness expansion and growth g plans.
vote4brock: It absolutely is. And if you speak to me, which... we said
vote4brock: I would not want to say anything bad because she is a very nice person, but And... hour and a half, two hour conversation that we had. We spoke about our past and just our lives in general. And every time that she used the word home,
vote4brock: She was talking about a different country. So. that's just something to think about she did come here on an h -1b visa so it was a temporary work visa She got married and divorced and Now she has citizenship and is running for office, so...
vote4brock: Something to keep in mind.
Bronin X: Do you know what i I think I also saw? She went to college and in the same part of the state where I went to college. I'm originally from Boston. I went to college out in Western Mass, as did she. And a a present company excluded most people who are. affiliated with the state of Massachusetts in any way who get into politics.
Bronin X: Very bad results. though And you know you point out that she's a nice person. I'm sure she is. I'm sure all these people are nice, but you know what?
Bronin X: yeah I keep seeing nice people increasing my property taxes every year. and And I really don't like that. And I don't think that's very nice.
vote4brock: hey I couldn't agree with you more.
Bronin X: All right, Brock, why don't you tell us, tell the audience, how can they find you on socials, your your website, anything you want to share, any events you have coming up?
vote4brock: Yeah, absolutely. You can find me on X at Vote for Brock. It has everything listed out there in my profile or in my. description My website is sitting right there.
vote4brock: Um... Check us out. We will have events coming soon. Nothing to announce at this current moment, but We will definitely be keeping everyone updated. I highly recommend anyone in Austin who wants to speak to me, learn more about those other candidates as well running for city council.
vote4brock: The community... projects that we have every Thursday. Typically they're at Central Market around 6.
Bronin X: All right. Thank you so much, Brock. I really appreciate you sitting down with me and we'll be in touch. Good luck in your campaign.
vote4brock: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. you Have a great rest of your day there.
Bronin X: You too.