Commission application number 217 submitted by Ben Hamill on 07/17/2020

First Name Ben
Middle Name/Initial Dale
Last Name Hamill
Voter Unique Identification number 1145216882
Ethnicity White
Gender Male
Age 35-44
Education Level Bachelor's Degree
Major Pursued Linguistics
What is your occupation? Software Engineer
Submitted Address
City Austin
State TX
Zip 78757
Verified Address
City Austin
State TX
Zip 78757
Do you have a spouse or domestic partner? Yes
Spouse/Domestic Partner First Name Sara
Spouse/Domestic Partner Middle Name/Initial Ann
Spouse/Domestic Partner Last Name Hamill
Are you applying to be the student member of the commission? No
Have you been continuously registered to vote in the City of Austin for the last five years? Yes
Have you voted in 3 of the last 5 City of Austin general elections (or corresponding runoff if applicable)? Yes
Been appointed to a state or city office? No
Been elected to a state or city office? No
Been a candidate for a state or city office? No
Served as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a political party? No
Served as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of the campaign committee of a candidate for elective state, county, or city office? No
Been a registered state or local lobbyist? No
A paid employee of the City of Austin? No
A person performing paid services under a professional services contract with the City of Austin? No
A person performing paid services under a professional or personal services contract to the City Council of the City of Austin or to any individual member of the City Council of the City of Austin? No
A controlling person of a person performing paid services under a professional or personal services contract to any member of the City Council of the City of Austin? No
Contribute or bundle one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more in aggregate to candidates for City of Austin elective office? No
Please describe your relevant analytical skills. As a software engineer, I am familiar with algorithms and how they can inadvertently introduce bias and am used to thinking about data in order to understand its implications and how to arrange it in order to understand it. As a native Austinite, I am familiar with the socio-economic make-up of different regions of the city.
Please describe your ability to be impartial. Everyone has biases. I have taken several trainings and have been self-educating about unconscious bias and how to counter-act them, especially in the domains of race and gender, but to a lesser extent disability and mental health issues. I am primarily interested that the city’s districts not silence the voices of those who already are systemically disenfranchised and devoiced.
Please describe your appreciation for the City of Austin's diverse demographics and geography. Austin’s demographic diversity is a strength to the city, but it is also under threat and in decline. Better representing the non-white voices of the city will help protect our demographic diversity. This means understanding how those demographics are distributed across the city, about which I have a reasonable idea of, but which should ideally be informed by hard data.
Please provide your employment history. I have worked in software at The University of Texas, OtherInbox, Return Path and Under Armour. At UT, in particular, I worked in the office that dealt with gathering data about and reporting compliance with equal opportunity laws.
Please provide any other information you wish to be considered during the selection of the most qualified applicants for the Commission. I am conversant with local politics, but not buried neck deep in it. I especially am interested in how city zoning can impact racial and economic diversity in Austin and how to create more affordable and public housing in Austin.
How did you hear about redistricting/Applicant Review Panel? From family or friend
Disclaimer Agreement Checked
Disclaimer Signature Ben Hamill
District District 7
Does this application qualify? Yes