Two-term Austin mayor Bruce Todd, who headed the city government through the mid-1990s, died Christmas Day at age 72.
The cause of death was complications from Lewy Body Dementia, according to a family spokesperson.
Todd was a certified public accountant who entered local politics in 1986 with a successful bid for Travis County Commissioners Court Precinct 2. He served in that role until 1991, working to consolidate four separate infrastructure departments into one and to create the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Preserve.
U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett remembered Todd in a statement, saying, “As mayor, as county commissioner, and concerned citizen, Bruce Todd made an invaluable contribution to our community. He played a major role in our airport, Balcones Preserve and in making Austin a major technology hub.”
During his time as mayor (1991-1997), Todd worked to recruit hardware technology firms to Austin, including Samsung Austin Semiconductor, AMD, Applied Materials, and Motorola. At the time, the city was still recovering from a severe economic downturn in the 1980s.
A divided city council battled over development and sprawl, amid the rise of a strong environmental movement, spearheaded in part by the Save Our Springs Alliance. Todd sought consensus between these two council factions, according to a family obituary.
He also spearheaded an effort to persuade the U.S. Air Force to transfer Bergstrom Air Force Base to the City of Austin as the base was being decommissioned from federal use. Transforming the military base into the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport required investments, and Todd led a public campaign to pass a $600 million bond for that purpose. The new airport opened two years after Todd left office, under his successor, Kirk Watson.
Todd is also remembered for leadership, together with Council member Gus Garcia, to pass a smoking ban in bars and restaurants.
According to the family obituary, Todd was born on December 17, 1949, the second of six children raised in Breckenridge, Texas. A childhood experience—the opportunity to perform in a boys’ choir at the White House in 1962—inspired his later decision to go into public service.
He left Breckenridge in 1968 for Austin, where he studied at the University of Texas. To help pay for his education, he got a full-time job at the City of Austin’s Municipal Court where he served first as night court supervisor and was later promoted to clerk of the court.
Todd practiced accounting from 1974 until 1986 at three different firms, before running for public office.
After leaving office, he founded a public affairs firm. His wife Elizabeth Christian, whom he married in 1994 during his first term in office, continues to run one of Austin’s most prominent public affairs firms, Elizabeth Christian Public Relations, and is vice chair of the LBJ Foundation.
Todd briefly returned to public office in 2013-2014, when he was appointed by then-County Judge Sam Biscoe to serve out an unfinished term as Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 2. During that term he cast the deciding vote to build State Highway 45.
In recent years, Todd played little direct role in Austin politics but served on several boards and helped with fundraising efforts. He was Texas State Senator Gonzalo Barrientos’ longtime campaign treasurer and served in the same capacity for Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Christian, his five siblings, his son Jeremy Todd, and his stepdaughter Alexandra Rose.
Christian’s PR firm issued a statement saying that the former mayor, during his retirement, “was an incredible mentor who always had time to make the rounds in the office, saying hello every morning. We are grateful for the many lessons, laughs, stories and wisdom he shared with each of us.”
