Watch Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown discuss what the pandemic has meant for local control in Travis County

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked new battles for local control across the state. While the majority of Texans support COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates, bans on these mandates have put an end to some local restrictions and have also been met with defiance.

Join The Texas Tribune at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, in person at Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches in East Austin for a conversation with Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown. Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith will moderate.

They’ll discuss what the pandemic has meant for local control in Travis County and they’ll answer your questions (taken in advance and live in person). The conversation will also be available to view on demand starting Friday, Nov. 19, at texastribune.org/events.

Register for the conversation here

The Texas Tribune’s Batch O’ Politics live event series features in-depth discussions with prominent elected officials and newsmakers moderated by journalists from The Texas Tribune. Find upcoming events in this series and watch previous conversations at texastribune.org/events.

About our speakers

Adler has been mayor of Austin since 2015. He has represented Austin in the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. He is also a board member of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. Previously, Adler served as chief of staff to former state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, practiced civil rights law and sat on the boards of Ballet Austin and The Texas Tribune.

Brown was elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court in 2020. Previously, he served as finance director and senior adviser to former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s U.S. Senate campaign and as a campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett. Brown also helped create The Sobering Center-Austin.

This conversation is presented by Loewy Law Firm and supported by CAMMACK & STRONG, P.C.

Tribune events are also supported through contributions from our founding investors and members. Though donors and corporate sponsors underwrite Texas Tribune events, they play no role in determining the content, panelists or line of questioning.