Every week the editorial board reflects on a current issue in Our View. The position taken does not reflect the opinions of everyone on the Hilltop Views staff. Hilltop Views will be endorsing in several elections. Stay tuned for more endorsements.

The most competent candidate for Austin City Council District 3, the district in which St. Edward’s University is located, is Susana Almanza.

Almanza promises to address some of Austin’s most pressing issues, like the negative effects of the city’s wild population growth; inadequate public education; a lack of jobs for college students; the hindered accessibility to public transportation; and a minimum wage that doesn’t provide for a good quality of life.

If elected, Almanza will fight for affordable housing through “rehabilitation, new construction, tax exemptions and expanded opportunities for home ownership,” according to her campaign website.

Furthermore, she will work to improve the quality and safety of affordable housing, two aspects that are often overlooked when drafting solutions to Austin’s lack of housing.

As for education, Almanza promotes close partnerships between the city and local schools, a necessary relationship for the improvement of public schools. She emphasizes the importance of tutoring, homework assistance and funding for early childhood education.

Beyond education for younger students, Almanza plans to aid college students as well.

“(College) students need jobs and funds to pay their debts,” Almanza said in Hilltop Views last week. “I will work for the creation of a Citywide Youth Employment/Internship Office to provide outreach for employment opportunities.”

In response to limited access to public transportation, Almanza plans to fight for “improvements to roadways, pedestrian pathways, traffic signals, sidewalks and sheltered bus stops,” according to her campaign site.

She also wants to secure affordable transit prices, which will benefit all Austin residents, some of who may not be able to afford high transportation costs because they earn low wages.

Almanza’s campaign website also outlines her plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, which will improve the working-class Austinite’s quality of life.

Each of Almanza’s proposed plans for Austin will benefit district 3 tremendously.

They are unique because they do not directly support any one party. Instead, her stances suggest that Austin needs to undergo major changes — regardless of party lines.

Almanza, who is non-partisan, plans to improve the city for the sake of its residents, not so that a certain party will benefit.

Thus, voters can rest assured that by voting for Almanza, they are not supporting a party’s selfish battle for political power. Instead, they are addressing the concerns of Austin residents, which is the city council’s purpose.