Steve Adler (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Adler
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| 58th Mayor of Austin | |
| In office January 6, 2015 – January 6, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Lee Leffingwell |
| Succeeded by | Kirk Watson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Stephen Ira Adler
March 23, 1956 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Diane Land |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) University of Texas at Austin (JD) |
Stephen Ira Adler, born on March 23, 1956, is an American lawyer and politician. He was the 58th mayor of Austin, Texas, serving from 2015 to 2023.
For 35 years, Adler worked as a lawyer in Austin. He focused on areas like eminent domain (when the government takes private land for public use) and civil rights law. He also worked for eight years in the Texas Legislature. There, he was a top helper and lawyer for State Senator Eliot Shapleigh. Adler has also helped lead many Austin groups, such as the Texas Tribune and Ballet Austin.
As a member of the Democratic Party, Adler was elected mayor of Austin in 2014. He started his term on January 6, 2015, and was re-elected in 2018. He was the first mayor to serve under Austin's new 10-ONE council system. During his time as mayor, he lifted a ban on camping in public. This led to a disagreement with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. In 2020, Adler declared a local emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also canceled Austin's big SXSW events that year. He faced questions for traveling during the pandemic while asking people in Austin to stay home.
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Early Life and Education
Steve Adler was born into a Jewish family. He first lived in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Kensington, Maryland. His father was a World War II veteran who later became a film editor for CBS News. His mother was a homemaker.
In 1978, Adler earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University. He then went to the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. He received his law degree in 1982. After finishing law school, Adler stayed in Austin to start his legal career.
Legal Career and Public Service
In the mid-1980s, Steve Adler helped start the law firm Barron, Graham & Adler LLP. His firm mainly helped landowners in cases where the government or a company wanted to buy their property. Early in his career, Adler also worked on civil rights cases. He represented women and minority workers in federal court. He also worked with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Austin Human Rights Commission.
Adler has argued cases in state and federal courts. These include the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Texas Supreme Court. He was recognized as a "Texas Super Lawyer" for several years.
Early Political Work
In 1996, Steve Adler helped El Paso Democrat Eliot Shapleigh. Shapleigh was running for the Texas Senate. Adler then worked as Senator Shapleigh's top assistant and lawyer from 1997 to 2005.
While working in the Texas Senate, Adler focused on several key areas. He worked on fair school funding, teacher salaries, and state budget rules. He also focused on protecting the environment and ensuring equal access for all people.
Mayor of Austin (2015–2023)
Becoming Mayor
Steve Adler started his campaign for Austin Mayor in January 2014. He promised to improve how the Austin City Council worked. His main goals included fixing traffic, improving education, making Austin more affordable, and protecting the environment. Adler went into a second round of voting against City Council Member Mike Martinez. Adler won the election on December 16, 2014, with 67% of the votes.
Adler was re-elected in 2018, winning 59% of the vote. He could not run for re-election in 2022 because of term limits.
Time as Mayor
Adler is connected with the Democratic Party. He was the first mayor to serve under Austin's "10–1" City Council system. This new system was approved by voters in 2012 and started after the 2014 election. Before, the council had six members and a mayor. The new system has a mayor and ten council members, each representing a different area of the city. This change was made because Austin's population grew a lot. It also helped ensure that minority groups, especially the growing Latino population, had better representation.
In May 2017, a movie theater in Austin held a women-only showing of the movie Wonder Woman. A man sent Mayor Adler an angry email about it. Adler's funny and smart reply, which listed women's achievements, got national attention.
In 2022, Adler supported a program to give $1,000 monthly checks to 85 low-income families. This was to study the effects of guaranteed income.
Working for Fairness
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In March 2015, Adler spoke out against stickers placed on businesses in East Austin. These stickers tried to cause problems about changes in historically Black neighborhoods. Adler said this was "an appalling and offensive display of ignorance." He stressed that Austin respects all people.
Adler supported the creation of an Equity Office for the city. In 2016, Brion Oaks became Austin's first Chief Equity Officer. In 2017, Adler hosted a meeting at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. They discussed a report from his task force on unfairness and racism in the city.
In June 2021, Adler joined 10 other U.S. mayors to form a group called Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE). This group works to start programs in their cities to help address past unfairness, especially related to slavery.
Homelessness Efforts
In 2016, Adler and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development announced good progress. They had helped many homeless veterans find homes.
In June 2019, Adler and the City Council changed a 25-year-old rule. They lifted a ban on camping or lying down in public, as long as it didn't block pathways. This change also included plans for a new shelter in South Austin. On October 2, 2019, Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote to Adler. He threatened to use state resources to deal with the camping rule change. Adler replied that the changes did not increase crime. He invited Abbott to join groups working to help homeless people.
On October 26, 2019, Adler and Governor Abbott had a public disagreement on Twitter. Abbott posted a video of a man damaging a car. He used it to criticize Austin's camping rule. Adler pointed out that the video was from 2018, before the rule changed. He also said the man in the video was not homeless. In 2020, the number of homeless people in Austin reached a 10-year high. Austin citizens then voted on the issue. On May 1, 2021, Austin voters approved Proposition B. This made it against the rules to sit, lie down, or camp in public areas. It also limited asking for money at certain times and places.
COVID-19 Pandemic and SXSW
On March 6, 2020, Adler declared a local state of emergency. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adler and other city leaders also canceled Austin's yearly SXSW events. This was the first time SXSW was canceled since it began in 1987. The cancellation was due to health concerns.
In November 2020, Adler traveled to Cabo San Lucas on a private plane. He went with family and friends from different homes. He also attended his daughter's wedding indoors with many people. This caused some discussion because Adler had asked people in Austin to stay home. Adler stated that he regretted the trip but did not break any rules.
Community Involvement
Adler has been involved in many community groups in the Greater Austin area. He has served on the Ballet Austin board since the late 1990s. From 2009 to 2012, Adler led the board of the Anti-Defamation League Austin Region. He helped create the Austin Hate Crimes Task Force. He also helped expand the "No Place for Hate" anti-bullying program in Central Texas schools. In 2010, he joined the board of Girls Empowerment Network.
Adler was on the first board of directors for the Texas Tribune in 2009. He later became the board chair. He left this role in January 2014 to run for Austin mayor.
On May 25, 2021, Adler appeared as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
See Also
- List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States
