Chris Riley for City Council Campaign Kickoff party

Lately I've been enjoying reading Rob D'Amico's thoughts and opinions on the resurrected BicycleAustin Blog. He mostly talks about transportation cycling and the local political scene as it relates to bike issues and cyclists rights, and he has his own unique flair to his writing which I really dig. One issue he's been keeping tabs on lately is the upcoming City Council race. We're lucky this time around in that one of the candidates seems to be very pro-cycling and friendly to our causes. Not only does he talk the talk, he's also an avid transportation cyclist and an active member of the many downtown planning committees and organizations. Chris Riley is the candidate I'm talking about, and though I don't know him personally, he's been vouched for by many people I respect and I'm looking forward to meeting him and seeing what he has to say about his vision for this city.

Chris is officially kicking his campaign off a week from this Friday on the 23rd. The shindig will be down at Threadgill's on Riverside, from 6pm to 8pm. I'm sure he'd love it if a huuuuuuuuuuge group of his biking constituency showed up and made it clear that bicycle transportation is on our minds. I'm volunteering at Yellow Bike on Fridays so I don't think I'm going to be able to make it but if any of you give half a damn about local politics and the direction this city is heading (or sliding), show up and see what Chris is all about.

Also on the topic of local bike issues (and Rob D'Amico) is the LOBV's latest endeavor: Project Catapult. They're currently taking an online survey to better surmise the main issues weighing on the minds of Austin's cyclists, so if you'd like to help change the face of Austin for the better, please fill out the survey and find out what this Project Catapult is all about.