Mayor Watson at the DNC, says Harris-Walz ticket could help with affordability in Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Democratic National Convention, or DNC, kicked off Monday in Chicago. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is at the convention, and he says he's hopeful for what the future of the country could look like and for the impacts the potential Harris-Walz administration could have on Austin.

Watson spoke to a Nexstar reporter at the convention Monday.

"This is a very exciting time," Watson said. "It's great to be here, in part because there's such a joyous feel to it. There's such happiness about where our country can be headed."

Watson commended President Biden for his work over the last four years and for his choice to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Watson said Biden "restored the economy, he restored our moral authority in the world, and then he put the country before himself... What a lifetime of great public service, and he's proved what a public servant he really is."

The Austin mayor also said he's excited for the possibility of a Harris-Walz administration, noting in particular that it would help with housing affordability, something Watson said is one of Austin's top issues.

"Well, I'm very excited about the Harris-Walz ticket in Austin, Texas, the number one issue is affordability first, and you've got a ticket here that is laser-focused on making homes and housing affordable for people. So it's a very exciting time when I know that we can use that administration to help us in doing what we need to do in Austin, Texas.

"Housing is first and foremost," Watson continued, "and the idea that the Harris-Walz ticket has already talked about building 3 million more houses, getting greater supply in the first four years is a big deal. The fact that part of the platform and the idea is to have innovation and look to cities put up $40 billion so that cities can figure out new ways to innovate and make that money available, also making sure that that there's more opportunity for building because of looking at how they can create better incentives for building first-time starter homes. And of course, access to capital is going to always be a big key. And the idea that they would make first-time homebuyers give them the opportunity to have $25,000 in terms of a break on their down payment, those are the kinds of things that we're dealing with in Austin, Texas. Affordability is first and foremost in our minds, and here we have an administration we know we'll be able to work with."

Watson was referring to some economic proposals Harris has put forward, including several that would take aim at lowering the cost of housing.

According to the Associated Press, Harris is calling for the construction of 3 million new housing units over four years, plans to promote legislation creating a new series of tax incentives for builders who construct “starter” homes sold to first-time homebuyers, wants a $40 billion innovation fund for businesses building affordable rental housing units, wants to speed up permitting and review processes to get housing stock to the market more quickly, and says she can lower rental costs by limiting investors who buy up homes in bulk, as well as curbing the use of price-setting tools that she argues encourage collusion to increase profits among landlords.

Harris also wants to expand a Biden administration plan providing $25,000 in potential down payment assistance to help some renters buy a home, according to the AP. She also has endorsed repurposing some federal land to make room for new affordable housing.

Watson said the Harris-Walz ticket has been an exciting time for politics, and that the duo is bringing joy back to politics.

"Everybody's very excited. One of the things that's really been great ever since President Biden made the decision to withdraw from the race is you've seen a presidential candidate in the vice president, and now her choice for who will be the next vice president, you've seen them bring joy back to politics," Watson said. "And that's really, I think, how Americans and Texans want to see things. They want to be able to look to the future in a happy way, a way where they're they're proud of where they're going, as opposed to looking backward in kind of a dark way."