Why Run?
Todd’s decision to run for Council was driven by his observation of how deeply divided Austin had become during the comprehensive changes to the land development code while serving on the Planning Commission. He recognized the need for leaders who would listen to each other, seek mutual understanding, and strive for consensus. Todd became Chair of the Planning Commission in 2020 when the body was hearing a large number of challenging cases modifying Austin’s land use plans and development codes. Todd demonstrated his ability to bring Commissioners together to develop solutions that a majority could support. He decided to bring the same type of team-oriented energy and collaborative leadership to the Council.
Who is Todd?
Austin has been Todd’s home for over 40 years. He relocated here to attend the University of Texas and like many, loved this City so much that he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. He was attracted to Austin’s natural environment, creative energy, progressive values, and incredible live music. Todd accomplished his career ambition of becoming an environmental engineer where he passionately served to protect Austin’s natural environment he loved. He is a husband and father experiencing all the joys of raising a family within an amazing community of friends. Todd is passionate about Austin’s live music scene and sees it as it is what sets Austin apart. It is our identity.
A Career Of Service and Environmental Leadership
Todd will bring to the Council over 35 years of experience leading diverse teams in solving complex problems. As a professional environmental engineer, project manager, and team leader, he has worked with stakeholders with different, often opposing, goals when faced with difficult decisions.
While at Austin Energy, Todd managed a passionate group of environmental professionals who worked together to ensure compliance with the regulations and reduce the utility’s impacts on Austin’s air, water, and land. His team also successfully advocated for greenhouse gas reporting, resulting in Austin Energy’s recognition by the California Climate Registry in 2005 as one of the first utilities outside of California to certify its annual greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2012, Todd shifted to leading project managers and engineers responsible for large infrastructure construction projects within the utility’s District Energy Services Department. His team built new chilled water plants and pipelines that cool public and privately owned buildings within the Downtown, Mueller, and Domain Districts, resulting in improved energy efficiency.
The Seaholm Story
The Seaholm District’s recent history is closely tied to Todd’s career at Austin Energy. Todd is proud of his work toward the transformation of the Seaholm District into a thriving mixed-use urban center. The Seaholm Plant and surrounding property were contaminated due to over a century of industrial operations. Todd led a team of professionals responsible for cleaning up the area, making way for future development. The Seaholm brownfield cleanup project earned Austin Energy recognition, including the Texas Environmental Excellence Award for Innovation and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Ready for Reuse designation. Later in his career, he was in charge of the workgroup responsible for designing and constructing Austin Energy’s chilled water utilities that provide energy-efficient cooling to the District’s Power Plant, High Rise, and Central Library.
Planning Commission Service
Todd served as the District 7 Planning Commissioner since early 2018, with three years as Chair before resigning at the end of 2023. Commissioner Shaw was known by other commissioners as being especially thorough, listening to community stakeholders, and bringing forth amendments that represented their concerns. He led working groups that developed improvements to the draft land code and served on all of the Joint Committees at different times: Comprehensive Plan, Codes and Ordinances, and Small Area Planning. He developed a deep understanding of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, Imagine Austin, having served when the most significant amendments to date passed through the Commission, including the Strategic Mobility Plan, Austin’s Housing Blueprint, and Climate Equity Plan. Having heard hundreds of zoning and planning cases, high-profile code changes, and numerous Planned Utility District cases, many of which required hours of research, public comments, and debate, no one is more prepared than Todd Shaw to take on the critical improvements needed to our comprehensive plan and land development codes.
