Max for Mayor

Biography

Michael "Max" Nofziger's birth was heralded by a Midwestern tornado ripping the roof off the family's barn. Born on March 20, 1948 of hardy Swiss Mennonite pioneers, Max is the sixth generation of the farmers and teachers who settled the Black Swamp region of Northwest Ohio. Max's mother thought she would be safer in a storm at a local hospital rather than in the family's log cabin home. So much for history.

Max learned about responsibility and hard work early helping on the family farm, raising corn and feeding beef cattle and hogs. He graduated in 1966 from Archbold High School, Valedictorian and vice-president of his class of 88 students. He won an academic scholarship to Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan and graduated in 1970 with a degree in political science and a teaching certificate.

In the early 1970s Max traveled the United States extensively, living in different parts of the country with various friends and acquaintances. Intending to go to Los Angeles, California, along the road Fate diverted his travel plans and he found himself in Austin.

Arriving in Austin in 1973 he was immediately captivated by the musical culture and the natural beauty of the city. Max decided to make Austin his permanent residence early in 1974 and as a means to achieving both income and knowledge of the city, began selling flowers in South Austin on Congress Avenue, at Oltorf Street, where he became a fixture for the next seven years.

Max's love of the city prompted him to become involved in the political process. He felt that he could legitimately and effectively work to keep Austin environmentally and culturally unique.

In 1979 Max made his first run for City Council -- Place One, campaigning for a clean environment and against Austin's involvement in the then newly proposed South Texas Nuclear Project. A political new-comer, Max won several thousand votes, but not enough to win. Not to be discouraged, he tried again in 1981 and got even fewer votes! Again not to be discouraged, Max was determined to be a voice in the city he had adopted as his own. 1983 saw "Max for Mayor" this time getting enough votes to force his contenders into a run-off. Another run for mayor in 1985, another run-off, this time he endorsed the eventual winner. Finally, on his fifth try for elective office Max won Place One on the City Council in 1987, edging out a well funded opponent in a very tight run-off race!

Max went on to be re-elected in 1990 after a tough campaign; and re-elected again in 1993, this time in a landslide. Max chose not seek re-election in 1996, after serving nine years on the council, choosing instead to focus on other projects like self-regerenration, music, recreation and writing.

Max's return to the political arena was prompted by a concern about what he perceives to be too much corruption and too little service in the City of Austin. Deeply troubled by both an outsider's and an insider's view of the political process, Max emerges back on the political scene as the only major candidate running for mayor who has agreed to the City's campaign finance ordinance, in fact, he has gone even further by lowering his contribution and expenditure limits ($100 per individual -- $75,000 expenditures). Max has not ever spent over $50,000 in any campaign and he has not accepted high dollar contributions from anyone -- he finds it very non-confining, thereby providing him with the freedom to act, unencumbered, for all of the citizens of Austin. His political compass is set on what is best for all of the people.

Max brings a proven record of leadership to the 1997 mayor's race. His record on our environment, our economy and our electric utility, just to name a few items, demonstrates his time-proven effectiveness as a community leader. Many facets of Austin's current quality of life are, in no small measure, due to Max's involvement in community affairs: i.e., the only elected official to be involved in the very successful convention center from inception to opening; the first public official to publicly endorse the renovation of Bergstrom and the closing of Mueller airport; possibly the strongest and most effective champion of and for the arts in the history of Austin; and, definitely in no small measure, the economy of Austin being among the strongest in the country today!

$Id: bio.html,v 1.6 1997/03/30 03:14:50 chip Exp $