Having been elected as Travis County Commissioner of Precinct 1 in 2016 and 2020, Jeff Travillion is up for re-election again in the March 2024 Democratic Primary, and he is calling on the voters to reclaim his seat once more.
As Precinct 1 Commissioner, Travillion serves Northeast Travis County. “Precinct 1 is where my wife, Perri, and I raised our three children as part of a vibrant community. From youth sports boards to church youth groups, and as advocates for public education, our life has been centered in Precinct 1. As a former President of the Austin NAACP, I fought for the community to make sure no one was left out – as a member of the County Commissioners Court I will continue to do the same,” he stated.
His top priorities for the precinct are to provide access to the tools and resources necessary to build sustainable communities. These include access to affordable healthcare, childcare, nutrition, education and job training programs, public transportation, affordable housing, and everything that moves families out of poverty to success. He also plans to focus on gun violence prevention and the diversion of non-violent offenders from jail to programming that will put them on a path to treatment, training, and opportunity.
Travillion was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and momentous events took place during his first year of life, including James Meredith integrating Ole Miss when Jeff was one month old, and Jeff’s first birthday fell on the same date as the 1963 March on Washington, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. bent the arc of history with his “I Have a Dream Speech.”
Jeff’s parents were educators active in the NAACP during that crucial era. Travillion graduated from Jackson State University, a historically-Black university, studied as a Sloan Fellow at Harvard University, and earned his Master of Public Administration at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with the late Congresswoman, Barbara Jordan.
His world changed when he met his future wife, Perri. They’ve raised a beautiful family that now includes two grandchildren. Jeff’s had a distinguished career as a government employee for the State of Texas and the City of Austin, where he specialized in getting troubled departments back on track to better serve the public. He is a faithful man who serves as a deacon at the Abundant Life Community Baptist Church. When the late Travis Commissioner Ron Davis was getting ready to retire, friends approached Jeff asking him to consider running to become an elected official himself. He does his best to be a servant-leader for our community.
Before being on the Commissioners Court, Travillion served his community through several former leadership roles, including being President of the Austin NAACP, former President of the Black Austin Democrats, President of the KLRU Community Advisory Board, Vice President of the AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) Local 1624, and board member of the Austin Project. He currently serves as a Deacon of Abundant Life Community Baptist Church and Chair of the Capital Metro Board.
Since having his seat on the court, Travillion has worked with the community to better organize resources in the Eastern Crescent, making key appointments to the Food Policy Council, Integral Care Board of Directors, Travis County African American Historical Commission, and Housing Authority of Travis County Board to ensure that community perspectives and priorities are represented where public dollars are allocated. He and his team have also worked with organizations like the Black Leaders Collective, Measure, the Community Resiliency Trust, the African American Youth Harvest Foundation, the JOI Foundation, fraternities, sororities, neighborhood associations, and others to provide services in communities that have been historically underserved. These organizations came together during the pandemic to provide food, water, medical services, and other community needs, and he continues to work together with these groups as a network to serve the interests of underserved communities.
When we work hard and dedicate ourselves to progress, together we build a path for future generations.
Commissioner Travillion is having a 61st birthday fundraiser on Monday, August 28, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, as a fun way to gain donations for his campaign. Attendees can expect a southern-style buffet, beer and wine, music, and more. Tickets to attend are $50, or you can choose a sponsor tier ranging from $125 to $5000, at which time multiple tickets will be included in your donation amount. In partnership with soulciti – Commissioner Travillion is offering a $25 ticket for the community.
“I expect people from all walks of the community to come together to discuss how we can better serve Precinct 1 and all of Travis County. Some people will be service providers and others might help build houses or roads or the water infrastructure, but all will be interested in the future of Travis County. My birthday will be the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington. I am rededicating myself to the goals of that march in this community. I expect that a number of my friends will commit themselves to building a more just community,” he stated.
If you are not registered to vote or are unsure, follow this link where you will be able to fill out a registration form or discover whether you are already registered. The voter registration deadline for the November 2023 elections is October 10, 2023. So be sure to register in time and let your voice be heard.
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