During APRIL, Lakeway’s LOCAL ELECTION SEASON, my blog splits into TWO ISSUES. Yesterday’s April 20 blog was the usual version—Lakeway events, space stuff, women’s rights updates, deer photos, etc. Today, April 21, I am posting the ELECTION ISSUE—covering everything you will see on your ballot–Lakeway Council, $22MIL Lakeway Parks Bond, Lake Travis ISD Board, and Travis Central Appraisal District Board. In May, things go back to normal.
May 4 LOCAL ELECTION
Early voting runs April 22-30, with Election Day on Saturday, May 4. The closest polling place is Lakeway Activity Center. Hours are 7AM-7PM, except Sunday noon-6PM. On the last 2 days, April 29 and 30, LAC will be open until 10PM.
There are 4 things happening in this election—3 Lakeway Council seats get filled, a $22MIL Lakeway Parks bond gets voted up or down, 2 Lake Travis ISD Board seats get filled, and 3 Travis Central Appraisal District Board seats get filled. Each is covered right here, with info I have gathered, my impressions, and tons of links for you to get MORE info if desired.
Go here to put in your name and birthday and SEE YOUR BALLOT for this election: https://sites.omniballot.us/48453/app/sampleBallot/vr
As a frequent poll worker, I offer this tip: bring written notes on your election picks, because it can get confusing in the moment. Do NOT rely on a text, notes or a link saved on your phone; cell phone use is prohibited in the polling place by state law.
LAKEWAY COUNCIL
Three Council seats are open. Four candidates are running. The 3 getting the most votes will win. Everyone has 3 votes. (Sorry, but there IS math involved….)
Just want the down-and-dirty version? Here is all you need to know!
Want MORE? Read on!
Media Coverage:
1–Community Impact candidate profiles and Q&As. https://communityimpact.com/austin/lake-travis-westlake/election/2024/03/11/election-qa-meet-the-lakeway-city-council-candidates/
2–League of Women Voters candidate profiles and Q&As. To see the brand-new online VOTERS GUIDE, go here: https://lwvaustin.org/Voters-Guide Scroll down and select the English version of the Guide. (Other language versions are in progress.) Once that opens, scroll to page 16 for coverage of Lakeway Council race. (Coverage of LTISD Board starts on page 35, and coverage of TCAD Board starts on page 5.)
Candidate Meet and Greets/Forums:
All 3 events are done, but you can watch them online—
1–Lakeway’s first Council Candidate Forum was sponsored by We the People on April 11. It was excellent (the best overall, in my opinion). All 4 candidates attended, and some very relevant questions were posed. If you missed the event or just want to review some issues, here is the YouTube link for 90 minutes of viewing pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhbRSK3_4n0
2–Know Your Vote was sponsored by Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce on April 18. The Council portion of the event can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76L8v_ylJ1o
3–The Local Election Candidate Symposium, hosted by Lake Travis Democrats and Voices for Progress on April 16, covered most of the ballot items and can be watched here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558656714084 (I’m told this link will work for people not in the sponsoring group or even on FB at all.) The recording is 2 hours long and worth watching in full, but here are some shortcuts to specific items.
–The recording started a bit early, so press the PLAY arrow and pull the progress bar at the bottom to about 17:30 to hear Mayor Kilgore update the community on the multiple swastikas drawn on walls, signs and buildings all over the Lakeway area. He then goes on the review the Lakeway Parks Bond that will be on the ballot for the May 4 election.
–Around minute 26, candidate Daniel Wang, running for Travis Central Appraisal District Board in Place 2, speaks and explains this brand-new election very well. (You will have three TCAD Board elections on your May 4 ballot.)
–At minute 42, the LTISD Forum starts, with incumbents Dr. Phillip Davis and Lauren White (both long-time educators), answering several questions from the moderator and the audience. Unfortunately, the other 2 LTISD Board candidates, (Christy Comfort, running against Lauren White; and Craig Cancienne, running against Dr. Davis) declined to attend. Also, there was a heckler who interrupted the LTISD portion of the event, around 1 hour 13 minutes. The Lakeway Police Officer present quieted him down pretty fast. Not, however, before Council candidate Chris Levy, from the back of the room, shouted inappropriate comments urging him on. And, I’m sorry to say that the heckler was the spouse of LTISD Candidate Christy Comfort. Odd campaign strategy all around….
–At 1 hour 19 minutes, the Lakeway Council Candidate Forum starts. All 4 candidates participated–incumbents Kelly Brynteson and Jennifer Szimanski, plus challengers Matt Sherman and Chris Levy. Everyone was on their game, covering several current and specific issues.
My election analysis….
If you want EVERYTHING, read my March 9, March 23, and April 7 blogs. Bits and pieces will re-appear here, but not everything.
People always ask me who to vote for. Well, start with election math: No matter what, 3 of the 4 candidates will win.
And, elections are usually about WHO WINS. But, I think this election is all about WHO LOSES. That must be Chris Levy. (I promise to explain why—keep reading and looking at the images.) But remember—if any of the other 3 candidates ends up losing, then Levy wins. And, Lakeway loses in countless and likely irreparable ways.
Vote for Kelly Brynteson, an incumbent. Experience matters.
VOTE for Matt Sherman. Matt is a dedicated and driven advocate for Lakeway residents of all ages, interests and viewpoints, plus he already has valuable experience in high-level city matters (see below). Truly, Matt is the bright spot in this election.
Vote for Jennifer Szimanski, an incumbent. Experience matters.
Happily, Kelly, Matt and Jenny are, by random drawing, the top 3 names listed on your ballot in the Council race. So—just vote for 1, 2 and 3. And you are done!
Seriously, do NOT vote for the 4th candidate, Chris Levy. He has zero experience volunteering for the city. His volatile and self-serving nature would be catastrophic on the dais, tipping Council over to complete mayhem and a body that serves developers, special interests, the Old Guard and Lakeway’s elite, at the cost of the rest of us. (Much more on Mr. Levy, below.)
The Candidates
Matt Sherman is a 5-year Lakeway resident living in The Preserve. He now serves as Chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee, as well as a Commissioner on the Zoning and Planning Commission. (Image credits: Matt Sherman for Council.) His campaign website and Facebook page have considerable informative content and are here: https://www.mattshermanforlakeway.com/ https://www.facebook.com/mattshermanforlakeway
Kelly Brynteson is a 16-year Lakeway resident living in Flintrock, currently seeking a second term. (Image credit: City of Lakeway.) Her Facebook page and official bio are here: https://www.facebook.com/kellyforlakeway https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/2007/Councilmember-Kelly-Brynteson
Jennifer Szimanski is a 12-year Lakeway resident living in Rough Hollow, currently seeking a second term. (Image credit: City of Lakeway.) Her Facebook page and official bio are here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077428167465 https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/2006/Councilmember-Jennifer-Szimanski
Chris Levy is a 16-year Lakeway resident living in Old Lakeway. He is also a NIGHTMARE. This candidate has ZERO experience serving the city in any capacity. Be skeptical as to his alleged military history and connections to area businesses and charities; he is quite creative in discussing his qualifications, I’ve found. Levy is all over social media, but he refuses to answer questions about his policies for Lakeway. Instead, Levy posts, on Next Door for example, scathing diatribes against whoever most recently irked him, and he immediately blocks comments so that no one can respond; drive-by posting is cowardly for anyone, but for a candidate to do that hints at far worse to come if he takes office. Over on Lakeway Broadcast, Levy is famous for posting wild allegations and vicious threats, but he deletes everything as soon he gets pushback; by then, the damage is done. (For instance, Levy posted he has “conclusive evidence” that a respected city official who is NOT running in this election is responsible for damage to Levy’s campaign signs; he refuses to understand the damage that spring storms always do to signs and also never ponied up any evidence at all that anyone other than Mother Nature took out his signs.) On his own campaign’s Facebook page, Levy BLOCKS access to it for all but his pals; so much for transparency and informing voters, right? But, you can try to get in: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556480009185
Still think Levy might be OK on Council? Keep reading!
Campaign Finance Reports
Council candidates filed their first Campaign Finance Report with the city in early April, covering all contributions and expenditures from the start of the campaign to March 25. (A second report is due on April 26, and then a final report is filed after the May 4 election.) All reports can be seen here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/2132/Current-Candidate-Filings
Reports like this reveal a lot about candidates—who is donating to them (and how much), plus how they use the money. Is the report transparent? Do the numbers balance? Did the candidate spend money like water? (If so, KEEP THEM AWAY FROM OUR TAX DOLLARS.) The 2 incumbents’ reports were pretty boring; both had major funding in prior elections and bought their signs back then, so …. But, the 2 challengers in this race could not be more different, as their reports demonstrate. Matt did things right, and he exercised fiscal restraint. Levy’s report doesn’t come close to balancing; the only thing that is clear is his wild over-spending as of March 25—with 6 weeks to go before the election.
MATT SHERMAN received $805 in contributions and spent $5,665. He funded early expenses (mostly signs) by making a loan to his campaign. So, all expenses flow through the campaign account, which is less messy and prone to error than when candidates pay for campaign items with their credit cards. Matt capped contributions at $100, which means he can’t be pressured later by a big contributor. For expenses, Matt paid Stokes $2,792 for signs. The only other major expense is $1,596 for advertising. He paid $515 for shirts, $356 for sign materials, and $245 for his website; the rest was for event supplies and financial fees. Matt’s report is crystal clear and balances to the penny.
CHRIS LEVY received $8,000 in contributions. His only cash contributor was Gretchen Nearburg, who ponied up $5,000. In addition, Kim Mulloy sponsored a campaign event that Levy reported as an in-kind contribution of $3,000. Per the report (see the image above), Levy has, so far, spent $54,067. He argues it was “only” $34,000, but he has not amended his report. Either amount is crazy for a local race for a volunteer position. Levy paid Stokes $8,203 for signs, plus another $1,185 to Home Depot for stakes and the rest needed to erect all those big signs. Plus, Levy paid someone $3,248 in salary for general campaign work, that seems to be largely pounding sign stakes into the ground. (If you think Levy’s endless signs have ruined every lovely vista in town, he spent nearly $13,000 doing it—so far.) Advertising is an even bigger expense; Levy paid $19,033 to Community Impact for ads, plus another $1,319 for advertising and logos. Of course, more expenses (signs, advertising, events, etc.) will appear on the second campaign report, due April 26.
Levy is not a nice guy. PART 1.
If you are on Next Door or Lakeway Broadcast, you already know this. Levy is his own worst enemy in this regard; I’m told that he has been suspended from Next Door at least 6 times in the last year or so. Gotta wonder why they keep letting him back in…. His online antics can be unpleasant (and some of that is detailed above in the text under his photo), but here I’m talking about some nasty stuff Levy gets up to OFFLINE.
On Broadcast, Levy’s Council run has prompted local residents—mostly women—to relate disturbing real life things he did after a disagreement. In some cases, they say Levy mailed threatening letters to them—or just left disturbing notes at the door. In other cases, they say he repeatedly slow-rolled past their homes until he got noticed and his implied threat was delivered. Sounds unlikely, right? Well, I know personally how Chris Levy reacts when thwarted. During the 2023 election, his comments to and about me on social media were threatening enough that the police were informed (NOT by me), and my house was put on their list for enhanced patrols.
Then in 2024 Levy decided to run for Council. So, he mailed me a Christmas card. In FEBRUARY. About when he filed as a candidate. And, he scrawled this on the envelope: “Not sure how we forgot about you….” Obviously, Levy and I are not card-exchanging pals. Levy wanted me to understand that HE KNOWS WHERE I LIVE, in hopes of intimidating me and keeping me quiet about his candidacy. Didn’t work….
Here is what he mailed to me. (I covered the photos and names of his wife and daughter, although Levy himself posts their images all over his Facebook campaign page and elsewhere online, as well as using them in his print advertising.) Levy WEAPONIZED his family Christmas card….
Levy is not a nice guy. PART 2.
Several residents, including me, have tried over and over to get Levy to clarify his policies, elaborate on his plans for the city, and answer questions that we posed to ALL the candidates. We get absolutely nothing back, except delays, excuses and whining about how unfairly he is treated.
So, on April 3, I arrived at City Hall just a couple minutes before my Zoning and Planning meeting was to start. Levy accosted me near the front door and demanded I talk to him. I reminded him that as a ZAPCO Commissioner, I needed to get inside for the meeting. I asked him to discuss his policies for Lakeway in a public forum and also post that Old Lakeway recording he made, so all residents can decide how to vote; he refused on both counts. No surprise there…. I went inside for the meeting. Levy drove away. He didn’t bother to go inside and engage in city business. Not exactly the model of a good Councilmember….
But Levy didn’t stop there. That night, he posted on his campaign Facebook page a message needling me about the encounter. When I posted a response, he panicked and removed the whole thread—that HE had started. That’s why he only wants to communicate on his Facebook page; he deletes anything that doesn’t fit his narrative and blocks all but his sycophants. And, that’s why it doesn’t work to post policy questions there in hopes of getting answers from him about anything. Levy uses his campaign page to play hide and seek with voters. Here are the contemporaneous screenshots I took before Levy erased everything.
Levy was NEVER a nice guy (AKA—Levy’s bizarre Old Lakeway misadventure).
I related this sorry saga (Levy attacking his neighbors, recording over an hour of foul-mouthed rants about them, and uploading it to YouTube) in detail in my March 9 blog; backtrack to that if you missed it. Recently, someone posted the entire transcript on Broadcast. Levy has been asked to upload his recording, but he refuses.
Below are some of Levy’s comments to his pal on the phone. They are full of hate toward his neighbors, making fun of them for being older folks and denigrating their homes as cheap $%@#holes. This is directly from the recording he made and uploaded, for whatever bizarre reason…. People send me stuff, so I have heard the recording. I decided not to upload it here, because it features and identifies other people, who didn’t know they were being recorded. Still, Levy is threatening to sue me and several Lakeway residents he assumes are involved, for outing him on this. Even though HE made the recording, and HE uploaded it publicly. That’s Chris Levy. That is what bullies do.
One last thing. Levy DOES NOT DENY HE SAID ALL THIS TRASH. Instead, he is playing the victim, whining that he has changed since 2017. Don’t buy it. The guy on the recording is the same guy who for many years and TO THIS DAY causes trouble wherever he can–on social media, at candidate events, in the polling place parking lot, in court suing the city, at Council meetings, on and on. And, he is NOW threatening to sue anyone who dares to thwart him. Of course he is. In my experience, he is mean, he is a bully, he oozes grievance and entitlement, and there is nothing that he won’t do to get his way.
But—you decide. In his own words:
CHRIS LEVY: “I went to this meeting, what they did was they took this first development neighborhood in Lakeway, right? And this group of people who own these 1971, pre-71 homes, you know, like the least valuable homes in Lakeway. And they created this thing called Old Lakeway. They got the city to let them put signs up in our neighborhood that now declare our neighborhood as Old Lakeway. And so they have also come up with this concept called the Lakeway 300, which are basically the first 300 homes built in Lakeway, pre-April 71. They’re the least valuable homes in Lakeway, these 300 homes.”
CHRIS LEVY: “And dude, I got to tell you, a lot of my rich neighbors, we’re thinking about getting a lawyer and suing this guy.”
CHRIS LEVY: “And I have it all recorded. I’ll let you listen to it. I’ll send you the file because, dude, they jumped on me with knives when I started to point out what they were doing was going to be… They basically hate rich people and they hate our generation and they hate Rough Hollow. They hate The Hills and they hate new homes. And basically, because they all own these $300,000 shithole homes that are 46 years old, they don’t want people building new homes around them. But what they don’t realize is the new homes are what make their homes valuable.”
CHRIS LEVY: “Yeah. There were 22 people there. Half of them were senior citizens.”
This is grim stuff, I know. But, because of that pesky election math, residents cannot afford to sit out this election, even if is distasteful or you aren’t excited about the options. For the same reason, just voting for 1 of the non-Levy candidates isn’t enough. Remember—3 candidates win, no matter what. And Levy has money and connections; he saturated Lakeway with his signs for name recognition.
If YOU don’t vote—LEVY will win.
If YOU don’t vote for ALL OF THE OTHER 3 CANDIDATES—
LEVY will win.
For the reasons mentioned here—and many more–Chris Levy is NOT someone I want at City Hall making decisions for Lakeway. This election, all residents need to decide about that, and vote accordingly. Consider his zero experience with city matters, how he acts, what he says and does. Vote for Matt, Kelly and Jenny. Just don’t vote for Chris Levy.
Please consider the above. Ask around. Think about who you want running Lakeway.
PARKS BOND
After several years of planning, Lakeway Council voted unanimously at its Feb. 5 meeting to put a $22MIL parks bond on the May ballot.
This fun and informative 3-minute video shows exactly what the bond will do: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=3367941976836194
The funds would be used on 5 of our parks. Our long-time favorite recreational areas, City Park and the Swim Center, would get much-needed renovations and upgrades, so they can serve the city’s growing population well into the future. The Activity Center would get minor updates. The Live Oak Tennis Courts would be expanded. Finally, brand new Butler Park in Rough Hollow would be built from the ground up, finally providing families on that side of town with a wide variety of conveniently located recreational opportunities. See the chart above for a breakdown per park.
The $22MIL bond will add about $100 to the annual property tax bill on a home valued around $750K (the average here).
I see this as a legacy—what current residents will leave for our kids, grandkids, and all future residents of Lakeway. I moved here in 2009, but I have read and heard about all the kerfuffle that accompanied creation of City Park, Hamilton Greenbelt, the Activity Center, the Swim Center, etc. People ranted that each of those was TOO MUCH MONEY, NOT NEEDED, CRAZY OVERREACH, blah, blah, blah. And yet, now that we have these amazing amenities, they are used and beloved by an enormous number of residents. They play a large part in making Lakeway a wonderful place to live. Can you really imagine Lakeway WITHOUT the Greenbelts? WITHOUT the Activity Center? WITHOUT City Park? For me, that would be a sadly depleted Lakeway. I’m willing to pay a little more in property taxes, to refresh and expand our parkland legacy and enrich Lakeway’s future. For more details, the city has gathered extensive info on the bond here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/2162/2024-Parks-Bond
LTISD SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION
There are 2 contested seats this year. In Place 1, incumbent Dr. Phillip Davis is challenged by Craig Cancienne. In Place 2, incumbent Lauren White is challenged by Christy Comfort.
Media Coverage:
1–Community Impact recently published candidate profiles and Q&As. Since the School Board runs in Places, there is an article on the Place 1 candidates (both men), and an article on the Place 2 candidates (both women).
2–League of Women Voters’ Q&As. To see the brand-new online VOTERS GUIDE, go here: https://lwvaustin.org/Voters-Guide Scroll down and select the English version of the Guide. (Other language versions are coming soon.) Once that opens, scroll to page 35 for coverage of LTISD Board. Candidate Craig Cancienne did not participate. (Coverage of Lakeway Council race starts on page 16, and coverage of TCAD Board starts on page 5.)
Candidate Meet and Greets/Forums:
The events are done, but you can watch them online.
1–WATCH the 4/16 Local Election Candidate Symposium, hosted by Lake Travis Democrats and Voices for Progress, here https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558656714084 (I’m told this link will work for people not in the sponsoring group or even on FB at all.) The recording is 2 hours long and worth watching in full, but you can fast forward to minute 42, when the LTISD Forum starts, with incumbents Dr. Phillip Davis and Lauren White (both long-time educators), answering several questions from the moderator and the audience. Unfortunately, the other 2 LTISD Board candidates, (Christy Comfort, running against Lauren White; and Craig Cancienne, running against Dr. Davis) declined to attend. Also, there was a heckler who interrupted the LTISD portion of the event, around the 1 hour 13 minute mark. The Lakeway Police Officer present quieted him down pretty fast. Not, however, before Council candidate Chris Levy, from the back of the room, shouted inappropriate comments urging him on. And, I’m sorry to say that the heckler was the spouse of LTISD Candidate Christy Comfort. Odd campaign strategy all around…. 2–WATCH the April 18 Forum hosted by Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOxb7PyCB9k (Unfortunately, Dr. Phillip Davis was unable to attend due to a medical emergency.)
There are 2 contested seats this year. Incumbents Lauren White and Phillip Davis are seeking another term. https://www.facebook.com/laurenwhiteforlaketravis https://www.facebook.com/Vote4PhillipDavis
–Both White and Davis are former long-time teachers. Their challengers Cancienne and Comfort have no discernible experience or training in education.
–Both White and Davis are supported by concerned and involved members of the community seeking to block the far-right Lake Travis Families PAC (directly tied to Gov. Abbott) from controlling all 7 seats on the Board.
—Lauren White and Phillip Davis OPPOSE book banning. They OPPOSE school vouchers. They are fighting for literacy instead of wasting money on political stunts, and they are working to keep our tax dollars in Lake Travis ISD.
If you agree these things are vital, VOTE to Re-Elect Phillip Davis and Lauren White.
Here is a link with candidate info, videos and more: https://www.betterunite.com/ltv4p-2024ltisdschoolboardelection?fbclid=IwAR1qDom7gIn1a7wuLvBwhNRoNoiCWVCHjEkXdmkMHU7u-e2WQv5-T2VGpDc
Confused about all the fuss over book banning? This March 28 article on how library materials are reviewed/banned locally at LTISD is helpful in understanding the process. It also identifies the tiny number of parents responsible for exploding this issue since 2021. Lake Travis ISD emerges as a battleground for school book bans 3/28/24 https://www.kut.org/education/2024-03-28/lake-travis-school-book-ban-library-austin-texas
As far as vouchers, the analogy below sums it up, as far as I’m concerned. (Thanks to LT Dems for the image.)
TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD
3 seats on the TCAD Board get filled. Similar to ISD, this Board runs in Places. So, there are 3 separate races to vote in, picking 1 candidate for each place.
This is a brand-new election, as previously these were appointed positions. So, voters may not understand what this Board does. In summary, Appraisal District Boards do not make decisions about property value. Instead, they appoint members to appraisal review boards, which hear valuation protests from taxpayers and can decide to lower property values. Here is an article explaining this new election: Texans will face another election after approving property tax cuts https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/11/texas-appraisal-district-board-elections/
While this is technically a non-partisan election (so candidates’ party preference will not appear on the ballot), the rest of the Appraisal District Board is Republican, so it would really help to get Democrats elected. Plus, the elected Board members seem to have more power than the appointed members. Here is a short but informative video explaining exactly what this Board does and introducing the 3 Dem candidates, Jett Hanna, Shenghao “Daniel” Wang, and Dick Lavine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UVcj-30Ogo
Media Coverage:
1–Community Impact candidate profiles and Q&As. https://communityimpact.com/austin/south-central-austin/election/2024/04/19/meet-the-candidates-running-for-the-travis-central-appraisal-district-board/
2–League of Women Voters’ Q&As. To see the brand-new online VOTERS GUIDE, go here: https://lwvaustin.org/Voters-Guide Scroll down and select the English version of the Guide. Once that opens, scroll to page 5 for coverage of TCAD Board. Unfortunately, candidate Bill May did not participate. (Lakeway Council race coverage starts on page 16, and coverage of LTISD Board starts on page 35.)
Candidate Forums:
The TCAD candidates did not debate at local events. But, Place 2 Candidate Danial Wang appeared at the 4/16 Local Election Candidate Symposium, hosted by Lake Travis Democrats and Voices for Progress. He gave an excellent summary of how this new election is happening and what the Board does. Watch the event here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558656714084 (I’m told this link will work for people not in the sponsoring group or even on FB at all.) The recording is 2 hours long and worth watching in full, but you can fast forward to minute 26 and TCAD Candidate Wang.
The above image on the LEFT gives the background better than I can. The above image, on the RIGHT, is courtesy of the Jett Hanna campaign and has a summary of each race and links for each candidate. It also shows the party affiliation of each candidate. As it notes, Democrats are Jett Hanna, Shenghao “Daniel” Wang, and Dick Lavine. Republicans are Don Zimmerman, Matt Mackowiak, and Bill May. And, Jonathan Patschke is Libertarian. That should be a good starting point for any more research you want to do.
Early voting is April 22-30, with Election Day on Saturday, May 4.
Pick your candidates
Make a plan to vote—early or on election day.
And—VOTE!