Texas Monthly Talks

Austin Mayor
Will Wynn

Will Wynn


Interview


Notes from Evan Smith

"Will Wynn was elected Austin's 50th Mayor on May 3, 2003. He has deep family roots in Austin and central Texas. Two of his great-great-great grandparents, James and Julia Olive, settled in southern Williamson County in 1843. His great-grandfather, Daniel LeMaster of McDade, was the state representative for Bastrop County in the 1920’s. Wynn’s great-uncle, Ridley Ott, built and managed the Checker Front General Store, now FreshPlus, at 43rd and Duval in Hyde Park during the 1930’s and 40’s. Born and raised in Beaumont, Wynn was the 6th of 7 children, and the 5th of 6 boys. He attended Texas A&M University, graduating cum laude in 1984 with a degree in Environmental Design. He first moved "back" to Austin in 1981. He married Anne Elizabeth in 1992 and they have two daughters ages 8 and 5. Wynn has 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, with projects including the $40 million redevelopment of Frost Bank Plaza on Congress Avenue, and development of the BMC Software complex in northwest Austin. In 1997, Wynn founded CIVITAS Investments, Inc. to focus on historic restoration projects. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and believes that only through dramatically better land use practices can Austin and the surrounding region appropriately deal with challenges like traffic, air quality, housing affordability and environmental protection. Prior to first being elected to Austin City Council in 2000, Wynn served as Chair of the Downtown Austin Alliance, and Director for the Children’s Museum and Heritage Society of Austin. He and his wife have worked over the years to build support for numerous local causes and organizations. Wynn was named Austinite of the Year by Austin Under Forty (back when he was under 40) and was awarded Scenic Austin's first annual Scenic Hero Award. He claims to know every word to every Guy Clark song ever recorded and on most Thursday mornings, you’ll find him pedaling his mountain bike to the weekly Austin City Council meeting." - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 4.1.04