Ellen Troxclair became the youngest Councilwoman in Austin, Texas as a first time candidate. How did she do it?

Elected to public office in 2014, Ellen Troxclair is the youngest woman to ever serve on the Austin City Council. In addition to her role at City Hall, she manages a successful residential real estate business and is a founding partner of Luxe Property Group.

After graduating with a degree in business from the University of Texas, she began a decade long career in public policy. In her capacity at the State Capitol she worked with constituents, local municipalities, state agencies, and interest groups in researching and developing effective policy on a vast array of issues. She played an integral role in crafting statewide legislation on topics such as improving our education system, assisting veterans, providing reliable water infrastructure, ensuring election integrity, and truth in budgeting and taxation. This experience gave her an appreciation for serving others and a passion for effecting positive change at City Hall.

Currently, Ellen serves as the Chair of the City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee. She also represents the City on the Regional Affordability Committee and the Capital Area Council of Governments.

Ellen and her husband Caleb live in Southwest Austin with their daughter and two dogs.

Ellen is honored to serve as the first City Council Member representing District 8, and is a true advocate for Southwest Austin, dedicated to protecting our quality of life while making it affordable to live in the city that she loves.

Links from the podcast:

Connect with Ellen Troxclair on Twitter, Facebook or her Council Website!

Important Time Stamps and Notes:

[00:00] Podcast Introduction

[02:40] Ellen Troxclair’s political background

[06:34] Had you run campaigns before your own?

[08:14] How did you build your campaign plan?

[13:36] How did you come up with your campaign budget?

[14:28] Running in a one-of-a-kind race

[17:58] The Role of yard-signs in local races

[20:04] What kind of ground game did you run?

[24:44] The Candidate sets the campaign tempo!

[27:04] Focusing on Voters AND Donors!

[28:42] How did you prepare for candidate forums?

[34:26] Overcoming Age-ism as a candidate

[36:04] What was it like once you became a Council Member?

[40:26] Where can folks find Ellen Troxclair online?

[41:14] Closing Wisdom and Outro