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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Residents of Austin lost a visionary civic leader |
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| 8 | 9 | | with the passing of former city council member Chris Riley on July |
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| 9 | 10 | | 28, 2024, at the age of 60; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, The son of Eva and Peter Riley, Chris Riley was born |
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| 11 | 12 | | in Austin in 1964; he worked as a congressional page in Washington, |
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| 12 | 13 | | D.C., as an Austin High School student; after receiving a |
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| 13 | 14 | | bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University, he |
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| 14 | 15 | | completed his law degree at The University of Texas at Austin; he |
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| 15 | 16 | | was employed by the Texas Supreme Court before entering private |
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| 16 | 17 | | practice; a dedicated urbanist, he made his home in downtown Austin |
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| 17 | 18 | | when the residential population was in decline, and in 1997 he |
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| 18 | 19 | | cofounded the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association, which he |
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| 19 | 20 | | later served as president; preferring to commute by bike, he got rid |
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| 20 | 21 | | of his car, and he encouraged greater use of Wooldridge Square Park |
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| 21 | 22 | | by picking up trash and bringing a giant chess set to the park for |
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| 22 | 23 | | weekly games; he also led Bike Austin before facilitating its |
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| 23 | 24 | | merger with other groups to form Safe Streets Austin; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Riley served for seven years on the Planning |
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| 25 | 26 | | Commission and won election to the city council in 2009; during two |
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| 26 | 27 | | terms in office, he championed greater density to provide more |
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| 27 | 28 | | housing; he was instrumental in the city's adoption of its Bicycle |
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| 28 | 29 | | Master Plan and the National Association of City Transportation |
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| 29 | 30 | | Officials' street design standards, recognizing the need for better |
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| 30 | 31 | | infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists; moreover, his |
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| 31 | 32 | | passionate advocacy eventually led the city to embrace such |
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| 32 | 33 | | concepts as parking reform, accessory dwelling units, and mass |
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| 33 | 34 | | transit-adjacent density; continuing his mission in private life, |
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| 34 | 35 | | he earned a master's degree in urban placemaking and management |
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| 35 | 36 | | from the Pratt Institute in New York; and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, Chris Riley helped guide Austin's progress as a |
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| 37 | 38 | | vibrant, well-connected city, and his kindness, integrity, and |
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| 38 | 39 | | devotion to his community will remain a source of inspiration to all |
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| 39 | 40 | | who were privileged to know him; now, therefore, be it |
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| 40 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 41 | 42 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Chris Riley and extend |
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| 42 | 43 | | sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Denise |
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| 43 | 44 | | Brady; to his parents, Eva and Peter Riley; to his siblings, Joan |
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| 44 | 45 | | Laves Reitblatt and her husband, David, Ken Riley, and Michael |
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| 45 | 46 | | Riley and his wife, Virginia; and to his many other relatives and |
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| 46 | 47 | | friends; and, be it further |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 48 | 49 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 49 | 50 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Chris |
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| 50 | 51 | | Riley. |
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