Today we’d like to introduce you to Portia Riggins.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m Portia Riggins currently a first-time candidate for Austin City Council District 1, running for the opportunity to serve the community that raised me. I’m a born-and-raised East Austinite, and my family’s roots in Austin and East Austin go back generations. For me, this campaign is much bigger than running for an elected position—it represents an opportunity to take the experiences, knowledge, relationships, and lessons I’ve gained throughout my life and put them toward serving my community and the City of Austin at large.
My story started right here in East Austin. I began working at a young age, and my journey has taken me through customer service, accounting operations, analytics, tax preparation, local government-related work, event production, media, and community engagement. I’ve also created and produced events in Austin, including experiences that brought hundreds and, at times, more than a thousand people together. Each chapter taught me something different about people, business, communication, organization, finances, and what it takes to turn an idea into something that creates an impact.
As a former Miss Texas USA candidate representing Miss Capital of Texas, I took seriously the responsibility of learning about the community I represented. That commitment led me to do my due diligence in understanding Texas real estate through my experience in accounting, property appraisal through TCAD, Austin 311, and transportation and mobility. Transportation and mobility are also personal to my story. As a child, I remember riding Capital Metro with my mother and sister and depending on the city bus to get where we needed to go. Later, my experience with the Porsche dealership brand allowed me to learn about transportation and mobility from another perspective. These experiences have helped shape how I understand the ways transportation, housing, property, business, and city services affect homeowners, builders, businesses, families, and Austin residents. They have also influenced how I look toward Austin’s future and the continued evolution of transportation and mobility.
Education has also remained important throughout my journey. I earned my Associate’s degree in General Studies and am continuing my education at Austin Community College, pursuing Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. I believe education creates opportunities, especially for our youth, and I value being able to apply what I learn in real time.
Over time, I began looking at Austin through a different lens. I started paying closer attention to how our city operates—our budget, infrastructure, housing, public safety, economic opportunities, technology, environment, accessibility, and the everyday experiences of residents. I realized that many of the skills I had developed throughout my life could be applied toward something larger than myself: public service.
That realization helped lead me to this campaign.
Running for Austin City Council District 1 means a great deal to me because I have watched this community grow and change throughout my lifetime. I understand District 1 through lived experience, but I also believe lived experience has to be paired with research, data, listening, and responsible decision-making.
One of my strongest priorities is the city budget because so many of the things we want to accomplish ultimately connect back to how taxpayer dollars are allocated and how effectively those investments are producing results. I want to focus on accountability, transparency, efficiency, completion rates, and measurable outcomes while making sure we are accounting for the people behind those numbers.
My priorities also include housing and affordability, public safety, infrastructure, economic opportunity, essential workers, accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, responsible technology and innovation, environmental protection, and creating opportunities for our youth and future generations.
I don’t believe leadership means pretending to have every answer. I believe it means listening, absorbing information, asking the right questions, bringing people together, making responsible decisions, and remaining accountable to the people you serve.
Everything I’ve experienced—from growing up in East Austin to working, creating, continuing my education, and becoming more deeply engaged with the issues affecting our city—has helped bring me to where I am today. Now, I’m asking the residents of District 1 for the opportunity to turn that experience into service and help build an Austin where progress and opportunity can reach more people.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, not at all. Nothing about this journey has been easy. There have been uphill battles, roadblocks, sacrifices, disappointments, and moments that required me to keep moving forward even when the road ahead wasn’t clear.
My faith has been a major part of how I’ve made it through those moments. I believe in putting on the Armor of God and allowing God to lead me through the challenges I face. Every day that we are given another chance at life is another opportunity to learn, grow, create, serve, and keep going.
I’ve also learned not to be afraid of failure. Failure doesn’t have to be the end of something; sometimes it teaches you what you need to know for the next opportunity. For me, consistency and discipline have been two of the greatest tools for defeating the odds. You may not control every obstacle that comes your way, but you can control whether you continue showing up, learning, working, and moving forward.
I believe pursuing the American Dream was never promised to be a smooth road. When your vision extends beyond yourself and you genuinely want to help people on a larger scale, there are going to be obstacles. Running for public office has reinforced that for me. You are putting yourself, your ideas, your experiences, and your ability to lead before the public, and that requires perseverance, humility, discipline, and consistency.
My journey has also made me think deeply about technology and the responsibility that comes with innovation. I’ve become increasingly acquainted with artificial intelligence right here in my hometown as Austin continues growing as a major technology hub. AI has allowed me to expand my imagination and use professionally created imagery and other digital tools to tell stories about where we are, where we are going, and how we can continue rising as a nation.
At the same time, innovation must be accompanied by protection. As our cities and our nation become increasingly dependent on technology, cybersecurity must advance alongside it. That includes protecting our financial systems, government systems, infrastructure, personal information, businesses, and the systems people rely on every day. I believe Austin has an opportunity to demonstrate what responsible technological leadership can look like—embracing innovation while prioritizing security, reliability, transparency, and public trust. As Leaders of America, we have a responsibility to help set the example for what innovation, cybersecurity, and technological leadership should look like for our nation and its future. As a leading American technology city, Austin can be part of setting that standard and contributing to a stronger and more secure nation.
The struggles have also strengthened my understanding of why leadership matters. There are people throughout our city fighting their own uphill battles every day—trying to provide for their families, afford housing, build businesses, continue their education, care for loved ones, or simply create a better life. I understand what it means to keep pushing toward something greater even when the path isn’t easy.
I’m still climbing my own hill for the greater good, and I’m not afraid of what it takes to get there. I’m grateful for how far I’ve come and for every lesson along the way. I believe that when God has a plan for your life, roadblocks may challenge you, redirect you, and strengthen you, but they do not have to determine where your story ends. Faith keeps me grounded, and consistency and discipline keep me moving.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work today is centered on public service through my campaign for Austin City Council District 1, but getting to this point was not something I originally envisioned for myself. I was actually reluctant to step into a position of public authority. I understood that serving in elected office comes with tremendous responsibility because your decisions can directly affect people’s homes, finances, neighborhoods, safety, opportunities, and quality of life.
Over time, however, advocacy changed my perspective. I found myself speaking up about issues, researching solutions, writing down ideas, listening to residents, and paying closer attention to what was happening throughout Austin. Eventually, I had to ask myself: if I care this deeply about the direction of my city and believe I can contribute something meaningful, am I willing to step forward and take on the responsibility that comes with it?
That is what ultimately brought me into this campaign.
One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing several issues I have advocated for gain attention or movement in real time. There have been moments when I’ve raised concerns or shared ideas involving infrastructure, better living conditions, environmental responsibility, public safety, technology, essential workers, and the needs of vulnerable communities, and later watched related conversations, projects, or actions begin moving forward. I don’t believe leadership is about taking sole credit for work that requires residents, city staff, community organizations, and many other people. What encourages me is seeing that many of the things I have been advocating for are possible and are already becoming part of larger conversations about Austin’s future.
That has made this campaign even more meaningful to me. It has shown me that public service does not begin the day someone takes office. You can advocate, listen, research, organize, communicate, and help bring attention to needs long before you ever have a title.
What sets me apart is that I wasn’t seeking authority simply for the sake of having authority. I had to become comfortable with the responsibility of leadership first. Now that I have stepped forward, I understand more than ever that the position is not about me—it is about what can be accomplished for the people you have been entrusted to serve.
I’m proud of how much has come to fruition throughout this journey, but I also know there is much more work ahead. Seeing progress motivates me because my goal has always been bigger than one campaign or one person. I want to use the opportunity of public office to turn advocacy into measurable action and help improve the quality of life for people across District 1 and Austin at large.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as being obedient to God and doing the work connected to His purpose for my life, with the ultimate goal of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. “On earth as it is in heaven” is something that speaks deeply to how I want to live my life.
None of us is perfect—our Savior is. For me, success is striving each day to become more like Him: recognizing when I fall short, repenting, learning, gaining wisdom, and doing better the next time. It is a continuous journey of faith, growth, discipline, and humility.
I also believe God gives us different gifts—wisdom, knowledge, opportunities, prosperity, abundance, talents, and the ability to influence or help others. Success is not simply about receiving those gifts; it is about what we do with them. I believe in putting God first, taking responsibility for yourself and continuing to grow so that you are better equipped to help His creations.
That changes the way I look at accomplishment. Titles, recognition, finances, and opportunities can all be blessings, but they are not the ultimate measurement of success for me. When God allows me to prosper, I want that prosperity to be of his purpose. When he gives me knowledge, I want to use that knowledge wisely. When he gives me an opportunity to lead, I want to use it to serve for his glory.
Ultimately, success for me is fulfilling God’s purpose for my life, becoming better along the way, remaining humble enough to keep learning, and using whatever He places in my hands to leave all of His creations better than I found them.
Pricing:
- N/A – Not applicable.
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Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vote-nov-3rd-2026-portia-riggins-for-austin-city-council-district-1-tickets-1996664823235
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portiari
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- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/portia-riggins
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- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@portiari
- Other: http://voteforportiariggins.com
