Travis County Judge-elect Andy Brown will be sworn into office Tuesday, preparing to tackle issues like declining revenue, criminal justice reform and the possibility of bar reopenings before the new year.
Brown, a Democrat who previously worked as an attorney for his own Austin-based law firm, will be sworn into office during a Travis County Commissioners Court meeting starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The swearing-in ceremony will not be open to the public because of coronavirus restrictions. However, commissioners court meetings are aired live on Travis County’s website.
During the election, Brown earned overwhelming support from voters over his Republican opponent and local attorney Michael Lovins.
Brown finished with 391,952 votes, or 69.59% of the vote. Lovins garnered 171,294 votes, or 30.41%.
As Travis County judge, Brown will be the presiding officer of the Commissioners Court and represent the county in many administrative functions.
Coronavirus response
One of Brown’s first decisions as county judge will be deciding whether or not he will reopen bars before the new year.
During his campaign, Brown was vocal about how he plans to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to his campaign website, Brown has maintained his support for a stronger public health prevention plan to help stop the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Brown said he hopes to help provide greater access to free coronavirus testing and implement stronger contact tracing practices.
He also hopes to see increased funding to make sure schoolchildren and those experiencing homelessness have access to meals during the pandemic.
Brown will likely discuss his upcoming decision on Austin area bars during media interviews following the swearing-in ceremony Tuesday.
Economic Recovery
As far as economic recovery from COVID-19, Brown said he has several ideas on how to support Travis County residents.
Brown said during his campaign that he plans to work with justices of the peace to extend eviction moratoriums and continue to provide rental assistance to families.
He also supports lobbying the state government to tap into its Rainy Day Fund and acquire other federal funding to address the needs of essential workers.
Lastly, Brown said he wants to develop a Travis County Green New Deal for watershed stabilization, land preservation, transportation improvements and establish more trails.
Criminal Justice Reform
Brown also made criminal justice reform one of his priorities as county judge.
He has said that he looks forward to working with the district and county attorneys to create more jail diversions and fund more mental health programs.
“This doesn’t mean we can’t improve our current jail and make sure those in jail are treated with dignity and respect,” Brown said in a written statement.
“However, we must acknowledge that we have to work to reduce wait times in jail and offer additional alternatives to jail,” he added.
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