Texas man dressed as a clown nominates himself for Austin Energy CEO after week of outages: ‘Most Qualified’

A Texan resident, frustrated by how power outages were handled after last week’s hurricane, attended Thursday’s City Council meeting dressed as a clown, saying he was the right fit for the job of CEO of Austin Energy. More than 348,000 residents were affected by the hurricane.

During a public appearance, Alex Strenger, an artist known for his city council performances, was called to the podium to address the council members.

Wearing a rainbow colored wig, face paint, a big red nose and a colorful polka dot tie and yellow shirt, Strenger said he wanted to speak out “in support” of paragraphs 39 and 81 because “there must be accountability for what happened.” .”

According to the agenda listed on the City’s website, Item 39 dealt with the removal and replacement of members among other related situations, while Item 81 was specifically written to “approve a resolution directing the City Auditor to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Austin Energy Vegetation Plan.” and Austin Energy’s response to the February 2023 winter storm.”

THOUSANDS OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS ARE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY FOR A WEEK AFTER A STORM, SO A CITY MANAGER’S PERFORMANCE IS NEEDED

Alex Strenger, a resident of Austin, Texas, attends a city council meeting on Thursday, February 9, 2023 dressed as a clown to announce his candidacy for CEO of Austin Energy. (Live broadcast of the Austin City Council / Screenshot)

Stranger began his allotted time by stating that his mother told him to “get dressed for the job you want to have”, so he showed up to the board meeting dressed as a clown because he would like to nominate himself for Austin’s next CEO. Energy.

In a statement aimed at mocking the city’s liberal priorities, Stranger said Austin needs leaders focused on what matters to residents, such as “fighting climate change.”

“By 2030, we need to reach zero, and frankly, if we’re ever going to reach those goals, you shouldn’t be using energy at all. Fine?” he said, emphasizing that he proved he was “strongly committed to saving the planet” by destroying his gas stove in a fire he set up.

Alex Stranger addresses Austin City Council members during a meeting on February 9, 2023. (Live broadcast of the Austin City Council / Screenshot)

Strenger said he would be a great candidate for the position because his “priorities are very much in line with the city” and past administrations at Austin Energy, adding that he added pronouns and Ukrainian flags to his Twitter bio.

He also said he would need a salary of between $350,000 and $500,000 a year to be able to maintain his lifestyle, fund his cocaine addiction, and take care of his wife “who has stage 5 testicular cancer.”

“I also took the ’23 and me’ test and found that I was 3% black, so it would be literally an act of violence not to hire me,” he said.

Strenger concluded his statement by saying that he would greatly appreciate a recommendation for the position, and that he is “obviously” “the most qualified person for the job here in this room.”

AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ACCUMULATES ‘LARGER MISTAKE’ FOR HOLDING ADULT ENTERTAINMENT CLUB TOURNAMENT ON GOLF COURSE

His satirical speech came a day after Austin Energy announced it had restored power to more than 99% of customers who were without power for several days after last Wednesday’s winter storm.

During the peak of the blackouts, approximately 150,000 Austin residents were left without power. Local news outlets reported on Wednesday evening that about 230 residents were still without power a week later.

Austin Energy had previously said that nearly all remaining customers could expect power to be restored by Sunday, Feb. 12, but changed the schedule to “well before Sunday” on Tuesday.

Crews work to restore power to neighborhoods after a winter storm in Austin, Texas, USA on Friday, February 3, 2023. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Frustrated city council members called for a meeting on Thursday to also include an assessment of Austin city manager Spencer Kronk’s performance.

“I added an emergency item to the agenda this morning because the management of this situation and the lack of clear, timely and accurate communication has left our community in the dark. This is unacceptable. The City of Austin can and will do better.” This was stated by Mayor Kirk Watson, who took office last month.

Also Monday, Kronk told Fox News Digital that he respects and honors the mayor and council’s decision to “ask questions, gather information, and consider decisions in the interest of the city.” He also said he was “deeply proud of the city’s employees and community volunteers who work tirelessly.” since the storm hit.”

Paul Best of Fox News contributed to this report.