Former Austin mayor Bruce Todd passes away at 72 on Christmas Day

AUSTIN, Texas - Former Austin mayor Bruce Todd has passed away at 72.

Todd, who was born on Dec. 17, 1949, passed away on Christmas Day from complications of Lewy Body disease.

Todd served two terms as mayor of Austin from 1991 to 1997, overseeing airport relocation, wilderness preservation, the transfer of Brackenridge Hospital to Seton, and the hiring of a new city manager.

During Todd's tenure as Mayor, major employers came to Austin, including Samsung Austin Semiconductor, AMD, and Applied Materials.

Todd, along with Austin City Council member Gus Garcia, also passed Austin's no-smoking law, which bans cigars and cigarettes in all restaurants and bars in the city.

Todd also helped create Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which included persuading the US Air Force to transfer Bergstrom Air Force Base to the city since the base was being decommissioned at the time. He also raised campaign funds to pass a $600 million bond to transform the base into an international airport, which opened two years after Todd left office.

Todd is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Christian, his son Jeremy Todd and his stepdaughter Alexandra Rose, his siblings Howard Todd and his wife Jann, Kathy Todd Gray and her husband Tim, Elizabeth Ruth (Betsy) Todd, Knox Todd and his wife Courtenay, and Holly Gandy Stephens and her husband Jas, and cousins, nieces and nephews.

Services for Todd are pending. 

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