Sabino 'Pio' Renteria Retains District 3 Austin City Council Seat

AUSTIN , TEXAS — District 3 Austin City Council member Sabino "Pio" Renteria has defeated challenger Susana Almanza — his sister in Round 2 of a very public sibling rivalry — in retaining his council seat in Tuesday's runoff election.

Unofficial election results tabulated by the Travis County Clerk show Renteria garnered 63.03 percent of the vote versus 36.97 percent for Almanza. A total of 1,685 votes were cast on Election Day — 1,062 of those going to Renteria.

If early voting results were any barometer, Renteria already had the election in the bag as he embarked on his sibling rematch. Travis County Clerk tabulations show the incumbent secured 65.38 percent (1,352 votes) of the ballots during the early voting period to Almanza's 34.62 percent (716 votes). All told, with early voting ballots included, Renteria received 2,412 votes versus 1,338 going to Almanza.

Pio Renteria via City of Austin

It's the second time the siblings have run against each other to represent District 3 in a political match-up that previously garnered national headlines. In 2014, Renteria's kid sister challenged him in 2014 when the incumbent ultimately emerged victorious in their first runoff election as political combatants.

A lifelong Austin resident, Renteria retired from IBM after 34 years as a technician for the company before joining city council in 2015. His younger sister and perennial challenger, Almanza is a well-known community activist in the East Austin of her upbringing.

While both candidates have sought to mitigate the effects of far-reaching gentrification in East Austin, their approach to the issue differs. While Almanza has emerged as a vocal critic against further commercial development, Renteria has been more welcoming of apartment builders with an eye on earmarks for affordable housing.

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Once an enclave populated by the working class, East Austin has emerged in recent years as a trendy part of town particularly appealing to a younger demographic. Commercial developers have catered to the new influx with construction of luxury apartments — brisk development that has resulted in displacement of many longtime residents unable to keep up with bolstered property taxes resulting from increased property values.

Renteria's second term on council officially will begin in January.

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