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Austin American-Statesman endorses Randi Shade

For the Place 3 seat, we are endorsing Randi Shade. She has experience running a business, impressive credentials and readiness to tackle the tough challenges facing Austin.

Incumbent Jennifer Kim, an intelligent, hard-working council member, was our choice in 2005. But Kim focuses too narrowly on policy and has been unable - or unwilling - to make the transformation to elected leader.

By contrast, Shade, 41, is a proven leader. That quality is needed on a council being pulled in several directions at once. Shade is the kind of doer who can help the council focus on important issues during an economic slowdown. This council already wastes too much time on pet projects and other unworthy distractions.

Shade, a graduate of Harvard Business School, successfully ran the AmeriCorps volunteer program under Govs. Ann Richards and George W. Bush. She then founded a successful Internet company that sold gift cards for charitable donations. Throughout her campaign, Shade has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the city and its challenges.

Shade respects the work of police, firefighters and EMS workers and won endorsements from their unions without pandering to them. On the question of whether Austin should convert to a council elected from geographical districts, Shade is open to a hybrid system that blends at-large seats with single-member districts. But she said she would not put the question to voters without knowing the cost and having a specific map that should be drawn after the 2010 census.

Shade also opposes an initiative on the November ballot to prevent the city from granting tax incentives to retail projects. She said it would mean reneging on a contract that makes tax incentives available to the Domain shopping center. Kim has not taken a position on the initiative.

Kim, 35, is more a facilitator than a leader. She defers to ballot questions too often, and too many of her initiatives, such as those to expand affordable housing, don’t make it off the drawing board. Austin voters elected her to make tough decisions on their behalf, but she has stumbled in that role.

Shade is a better leader, and we urge voters to support her in Place 3. The other candidate in the race is Ken Weiss, who operates two local businesses.