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 March 23, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 58th mayor of Austin, Texas, from 2015 to 2023. A mayor is the leader of a city's government.
For 35 years, Adler worked as a lawyer in Austin. He specialized in civil rights law, which protects people's freedoms, and eminent domain law. Eminent domain is when the government can buy private property for public use.
Before becoming mayor, he worked for Texas State Senator Eliot Shapleigh. Adler has also been involved with many Austin community groups, including the Texas Tribune, the Anti-Defamation League, and Ballet Austin.
As a member of the Democratic Party, Adler was elected mayor in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. During his time as mayor, he made some important decisions. He changed a rule about people camping in public places, which caused a disagreement with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Adler declared a local emergency and canceled the popular SXSW festival in 2020 to keep people safe.
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Early Life and Schooling
Steve Adler was born into a Jewish family in Washington, D.C.. He grew up in Kensington, Maryland. His father was a World War II veteran who worked as a film editor for CBS News, and his mother was a homemaker.
In 1978, Adler earned a degree from Princeton University. He then moved to Texas to study law. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1982 and decided to stay in Austin to start his career.
Career as a Lawyer
In the mid-1980s, Steve Adler helped start a law firm. He often represented landowners whose property the government wanted to buy for public projects.
Adler also spent much of his early career working on civil rights cases. He helped women, Hispanic, African American, and other minority workers fight for fair treatment in the workplace. He worked on cases about equal pay and stopping harassment at work.
He argued cases in many different courts, including the Texas Supreme Court. For his work, he was named a Texas Super Lawyer and one of the Best Lawyers in America for several years.
Early Political Work
In 1996, Steve Adler helped Democrat Eliot Shapleigh win an election for the Texas State Senate. From 1997 to 2005, Adler worked as Senator Shapleigh's chief of staff and later as his main lawyer.
In the Texas Senate, Adler focused on making school funding fair, improving teacher salaries, and protecting the environment.
Mayor of Austin (2015–2023)
Steve Adler ran for mayor of Austin in 2014. He promised to improve the city government and solve problems like traffic, education, and the high cost of living. In the first election, no one won a majority, so Adler had to compete in a second "run-off" election against City Council Member Mike Martinez. Adler won with 67% of the vote.
He was re-elected in 2018 but could not run again in 2022 because of term limits, which restrict how many times a person can hold an office.
A New City Council System
Adler was the first mayor to work with the "10-1" City Council system. Before this, Austin's City Council had six members who represented the whole city. The new system has ten members who each represent a specific district, plus the mayor.
This change was made because Austin's population had grown so much. It helped ensure that people from all parts of the city, especially minority communities, had a voice in the government.
Important Events During His Term
In 2017, a movie theater in Austin held a screening of the movie Wonder Woman just for women. When a man complained to Mayor Adler, the mayor's clever and supportive response in favor of the event got national attention.
In 2022, Adler supported a program to study the effects of guaranteed income. The program gave monthly checks of $1,000 to 85 low-income families to help them with their expenses.
Working for Fairness and Equality
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Adler has often spoken out against unfairness. In 2015, he criticized a group that put up offensive stickers on businesses in East Austin, a historically Black area. He said, "Our city is a place where respect for all people is a part of our spirit and soul."
He also supported creating a Chief Equity Officer for the city. This person's job is to find and fix unfairness in city policies. In 2021, he joined a group of mayors working on programs to address the long-term effects of slavery.
Homelessness in Austin
During Adler's time as mayor, the city worked to help homeless people, especially veterans.
In 2019, Adler and the City Council changed a rule that banned camping in public places. This decision was controversial. Governor Greg Abbott disagreed with the new rule and said the state might get involved. Adler invited the governor to work with the city to find solutions.
Later, Austin voters decided to bring back the ban on camping in public areas.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
On March 6, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning, Mayor Adler declared a local emergency. He and other city leaders made the difficult decision to cancel the annual SXSW festival for the first time in its history to prevent the virus from spreading.
Later that year, Adler faced criticism for taking a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, after he had told Austin residents to stay home. He later said he regretted the trip but did not break any rules.
Community Work
Adler has been active in many community groups in the Austin area. He has served on the boards of Ballet Austin and the Girls Empowerment Network.
He was also a founding board member of the Texas Tribune, a nonprofit news organization. He stepped down from this role in 2014 to run for mayor.
See also
- List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States
