AUSTIN, TX — Austin Mayor Steve Adler took to the national airwaves on Monday evening offering his support of presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for president.

Appearing on the current events program "OutFront with Erin Burnett" on CNN, Adler came to the defense of the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, on the heels of Joe Biden's attack on his record via a video that was posted on Facebook and YouTube. Both Biden and Buttigieg are seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidency. A narrator contrasts Biden's record to that of his younger rival in a political video replete with dismissive references to the former Indiana mayor's accomplishments. Whenever Biden's accomplishments on the national front are highlighted on the video, decidedly municipal developments in South Bend are contrasted in mocking tones.

"It is a little demeaning, and it's disappointing," Adler said when asked to respond to Biden's video. "Folks in cities like South Bend, like my own, we take our local issues pretty seriously. Having somebody who's actually on the ground in a place like the mayor having to get things done, changing cities in ways Pete has been able to do in South Bend shows pretty considerable leadership. So I see an ad like that and it's inaccurate." Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg smiles as he speaks at "Our Rights, Our Courts" forum. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)



The narrator in the pro-Biden video contrasts Biden's major accomplishments during his vice presidency with efforts undertaken in South Bend when Buttigieg was at the mayoral helm: Biden's role in passing the Affordable Care Act under Barack Obama is cited, contrasting that accomplishment with the installation of decorative lights in South Bend to illuminate waterways.

The former vice president's contributions in hammering out the Iran deal banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East nation is matched against Buttigieg's role in pushing for lighter licensing regulations for pet chip scanners.

And in referencing his role in Recovery Act that prevented economic collapse after the subprime mortgage meltdown that began in 2007, Biden's video compares it to installation of decorative bricks for sidewalks in South Bend. During the CNN interview, Adler also was asked for a reaction to the $30 million in political ads another presidential candidate, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, has spent in Texas so far in his campaign for president. The expenditure is exponentially greater than any other candidate running, the show's host noted.



"I think ultimately this isn't a position that people should be able to buy. i think that Mayor Pete represents generational change," Adler said. "I think he represents a really progressive policy and message that can unify and bring people together and actually get stuff done. And I think that's what Pete stands for, and that's what the country wants."

Adler touted Buttigieg's championing of the "Smart Cities" concept for South Bend, a concept utilizing technology to improve governance, planning, management and livability of a city by gathering data that is both real-world and real-time data. The Austin mayor also spoke highly of Buttigieg's personal attributes.