Katie Kam is running for Austin City Council, District 9 — the historic heart of Austin. Civil engineer with a Ph.D. from UT. Fourth-generation Texan. Founder of BioBQ. Volunteer who collected 4,000+ signatures to stop the multi-billion-dollar convention center. No highway expansions.
“Keep Austin Musical, Memorable, Moving, Magical KAM.
No highway expansions.” 😊
A District 9 council member shapes housing, mobility, music, parks, public safety, and the city budget. Katie’s priorities translate the KAM slogan into a working agenda.
Defend Austin’s identity as the Live Music Capital of the World. Protect venues, fight noise-complaint creep from luxury infill, fund cultural preservation that actually reaches working musicians.
Stop turning Austin into Anywhere, USA. Honor neighborhood character, historic streetscapes, and the weird magic that made this city worth moving to in the first place.
Get Austin out of gridlock without bulldozing it. Safer streets, real mobility options, expanded infrastructure for low-speed electric vehicles — golf carts, e-trikes, micro-mobility. No highway expansions.
Fiscal responsibility with the city budget. Stop the multi-billion-dollar convention-center boondoggle. Spend like a city that loves itself, not one trying to impress a developer.
I have decided to run for Austin City Council (District 9, the historic heart of Austin 💚). Please check out my website to learn why, my platform, how to donate, and to check if you live in District 9.
Last summer/fall, when I personally collected over 4,000 signatures from Austin voters as a volunteer to stop the multi-billion-dollar convention center, it became very clear to me: residents want someone who cares about Austin’s culture, livability, and fiscal responsibility — and want to be included in determining the future of Austin. I found the experience energizing.
💚 I care deeply about my hometown and want to help guide Austin to a future that does not turn it into Anywhere, USA. Austin deserves to be the unique, creative, musical, environmentally sustainable, safe, memorable, and magical city it was destined to be. 💙
I filed March 9, 2026 and have been spending my time getting to know voter concerns and visions for a better Austin. I love being on the campaign trail. As someone who knows me well said: “it was really not a matter of if, it was a matter of when” I would decide to run.
The election is November 3, 2026 — early voting in October. Thank you.
— Katie
Before filing for office, Katie was already in the work — on the streets, at the Capitol, and at the lab bench.
Katie spent last summer and fall outside the existing convention center collecting signatures — one conversation at a time — to stop the city from spending billions on an expansion residents weren’t asking for.
That campaign — Ditch the New Convention Center — is what made the case for Katie running for Council herself.
Katherine Anne “Katie” Kam has lived in Austin since 1983. She holds four degrees from the University of Texas, ranging from a Ph.D. in civil engineering to a master’s in community and regional planning.
Her career has included academic research focused on transportation, work as a city engineer, and teaching in the Austin Independent School District. She is the founder and CEO of BioBQ, an Austin cultured-meat startup developing lab-grown barbecue brisket. She is a longtime vegan and a fourth-generation Texan.
In the early 2000s she co-founded the West Campus Parking Benefit District, which set up metered street parking that funds neighborhood improvements — an early example of the kind of practical, district-scale problem-solving she wants to bring to City Hall.
Katie’s combination of civic activism, scientific credentials, and Texas-rooted entrepreneurship has drawn coverage from state and local press.
A profile of Katie’s work as the founder and CEO of BioBQ, the Austin cultured-meat startup developing lab-grown barbecue brisket — and her testimony at the Capitol against Governor Abbott’s two-year ban on lab-grown meat sales.
All donation amounts are appreciated. You don’t have to live in Austin to donate (there’s a cap on non-Austin resident donations, but Katie is early in fundraising so it’s not an issue at the moment). Volunteers, signature-gatherers, yard-sign requests, and word-of-mouth ambassadors are equally welcome.
Any amount helps fund signs, postcards, and outreach in District 9.
katiekamforaustin.com → 🗣️Knock doors, gather signatures, host a meet-and-greet, table an event.
Sign up → 🏠Live in District 9 and want a sign? Request one from the campaign.
Request → ☑️Verify you’re registered in Travis County and check your district.
Travis County →Help keep Austin musical, memorable, moving, and magical. Donate, volunteer, or simply tell a District 9 neighbor.
katiekamforaustin.com →A few minutes with the candidate — in her own words.
This page is the editorial endorsement of one candidate. The rest of AustinMayor.com is nonpartisan reference covering the mayor, all 10 council districts, key policy issues, and voter resources for the November 3, 2026 ballot.
About this site: AustinMayor.com is an independent civic website that has covered Austin politics since 2003. This page is an editorial endorsement and feature of the Katie Kam for Austin City Council District 9 campaign. It is not a campaign-authorized communication and is not paid for by Katie Kam for Austin or any political committee.
Other District 9 candidates as of this writing: incumbent Zohaib “Zo” Qadri, Rich Heyman, and Thadani. Voters are encouraged to research all candidates before voting.