Carrie Austin
{{short description|American politician}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2009}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Carrie Austin
|office = Member of the Chicago City Council
from the 34th ward
|term_start = August 5, 1994
|term_end = March 1, 2023
|predecessor = Lemuel Austin
|successor = Bill Conway
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|5|15}}
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Democratic
|spouse = Lemuel Austin (Deceased)
|children = 7
}}
Carrie Austin is a former alderman on the Chicago City Council who represented the 34th ward on Chicago's far south side from 1994 to 2023. The predominantly African-American ward includes portions of Morgan Park, Roseland, Washington Heights and West Pullman.
Chicago City Council
Austin was appointed by Richard M. Daley to the seat of her late husband Lemuel Austin. She officially took office on July 13, 1994.{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/06/29/daley-tabs-widow-for-austin-post/|last=Davis|first=Robert|title=Daley Tabs Widow For Austin Post|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=June 29, 1994|access-date=March 5, 2017}} She has been reelected in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.
As a member of the Chicago City Council, she serves on six committees: Budget and Government operations; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Finance; Health; Housing and Real Estate; and Zoning.
Austin served as a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/politics/2012/09/who_are_the_illinois_delegates_to_the_democratic_national_convention.html|title=Who are the Illinois delegates to the Democratic National Convention?|access-date=2012-09-06|date=2012-09-02|publisher=Chicago Sun-Times|author=Newman, Craig|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502142630/http://blogs.suntimes.com/politics/2012/09/who_are_the_illinois_delegates_to_the_democratic_national_convention.html|archive-date=2013-05-02}}
Austin was an ally of mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel.
In 2016, Austin was a presidential elector from Illinois.{{cite web|url=http://nprillinois.org/post/who-will-sit-electoral-college-illinois|publisher=nprillinois.org|title=Who Will Sit On The Electoral College From Illinois | NPR Illinois|access-date=2016-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020174710/http://nprillinois.org/post/who-will-sit-electoral-college-illinois|archive-date=2016-10-20|url-status=dead}}
In the runoff of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, Austin endorsed Lori Lightfoot.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/chicago-mayor-race-endorsements-507305521.html |title=List of Endorsements in the Race for Chicago Mayor |date=18 March 2019 |publisher=NBC Chicago |access-date=April 2, 2019}}
On May 17, 2019, Austin publicly admitted that she had hired family members as interns on her committee payroll, refusing to apologize for it. The same day, mayor-elect Lightfoot announced that she would be naming Pat Dowell to supplant Austin as the City Council's budget chairman.{{cite web |last1=Spielman |first1=Fran |title=Lightfoot shakes up the City Council |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2019/5/17/18629590/lori-lightfoot-chicago-city-council-committee-leadership |publisher=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=2 February 2020 |language=en |date=17 May 2019}} Austin publicly took offense to this move by Lightfoot.
On July 1, 2021, Austin was indicted for allegedly taking bribes from a private development firm.{{Cite web|url=https://news.wttw.com/2021/07/01/ald-carrie-austin-indicted-bribery-lying-feds|title=Ald. Carrie Austin Indicted for Bribery, Lying to the Feds}}
Austin previously served as the Democratic Committeewoman for the 34th ward.{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Get-to-Know-Your-Ward-34th-Ward-291076691.html|last=Connolly|first=Colleen|title=Get to Know Your Ward: 34th Ward|publisher=WMAQ-TV|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=February 6, 2015|access-date=March 5, 2017}} In late 2019, she withdrew from the race to remain the ward's committeewoman.{{cite web |last1=Hinton |first1=Rachel |title=Ald. Carrie Austin drops out of ward committeeperson race |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2019/12/30/21043542/alderman-carrie-austin-34th-ward-committeeperson-race-cook-county-democratic-party |publisher=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=11 February 2020 |language=en |date=30 December 2019}}
Austin's tenure on the Chicago City Council ended when she resigned from office effective March 1, 2023.{{cite news|last=Spielman|first=Fran|title=Indicted Ald. Carrie Austin gets head start on political retirement|date=March 7, 2023|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|url-access=registration|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2023/3/6/23627362/carrie-austin-leaves-chicago-city-council-34th-ward-federal-indictment-bill-conway-lightfoot|access-date=March 7, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Carrie}}
Category:2004 United States presidential electors
Category:2008 United States presidential electors
Category:2016 United States presidential electors
Category:20th-century Illinois politicians
Category:20th-century American women politicians
Category:21st-century Illinois politicians
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:African-American city council members in Illinois
Category:Chicago City Council members appointed by Richard M. Daley
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Women city councillors in Illinois
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