By Mike Killalea, NSD president
Big congrats going out from North Shore Democrats to Jett Hanna, Daniel Wang, and Dick Lavine for winning their elections to the Travis County Appraisal District Board of Directors. NSD endorsed the three candidates. (1,2)
Still, the big winners are the people of Travis County, who overwhelmingly elected the three candidates, and in so doing, struck a positive blow to protect schools, parks, and services. (3)
Each candidate defeated their opponents by better than two to one, and in Dick Lavine’s case, by nearly three to one.
If you have not already learned about the three Directors-elect, below is some important information.
Jett Hanna, Director-elect for Place 1
Jett Hanna is a native Texan who came to Austin in 1980 for law school. He is a retired attorney who was board certified in commercial real estate law and served on the Appraisal Board from 1988 to 1990.
As a Senior Vice President, Jett helped his customer-owned insurance company improve from a C- to an A Best Rating.
He is currently a member of the Texas Supreme Court Professional Ethics Committee. Among his volunteer activities are volunteering with the Del Valle Correctional Facility chaplain's office to facilitate meditation and helping with local hospital emergency communications as an amateur radio operator. He is married with two children and a lifelong Democrat.
He will work for fair appraisals, accountable leadership, courteous customer service, and a qualified appraisal review board.
Website:Â https://www.jetthanna.com
Shenghao "Daniel" Wang, Director-elect for Place 2
Shenghao "Daniel" Wang grew up in Austin, and attended Harvard law school. Upon graduation, he returned home where he now practices electricity regulation and focuses on building a more sustainable, resilient grid.
He is a community organizer who serves on the boards for his local alumni clubs, volunteers for voter registration and protection efforts, and co-leads the Austin Asian Professional Network. He is a Democrat.
He ran to ensure that we can fund schools, roads, firefighters, and other public services fairly and efficiently.
Website:Â https://www.danielfortcad.com
Dick Lavine, Director-elect for Place 3
Dick Lavine is a Harvard-educated lawyer and chartered financial analyst. Dick has spent a lifetime serving the public interest. He spent 10 years at the research arm of the Texas Legislature and almost 30 more with Every Texan, a nonprofit working to strengthen public policy to expand opportunity and equity for Texans of all backgrounds.
His work to improve Texas' state/local tax system is highly respected throughout the Texas Capitol. He is a trustee of the City of Austin Employees Retirement System and proud board member of a union of retired state workers. He is a Democrat.
Dick ran to ensure fair and accurate property tax appraisals, to strengthen taxpayer protections, to guarantee efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and to preserve the integrity of the appraisal district from inappropriate political interference.
Website: https:/www.dicklavinefortcad.com
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