[4] It was announced by the Austin American-Statesman that Watson had planned to resign from the Texas Senate to become the first dean of the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs.

Watson was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Saginaw, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, where he attended Boswell High School.

[11] In 1999, Watson spearheaded a redevelopment project along several blocks of waterfront property in Downtown Austin, in an effort to create a new public-private "digital district" in place of dilapidated warehouses and businesses including the former Liberty Lunch, which were demolished.

[citation needed] In November 2001, he stepped down to run unsuccessfully for Texas attorney general in the 2002 election, losing 41% to 57% to now-Governor Greg Abbott.

Watson has become a prominent voice on transportation, clean energy, and higher education issues, and he has campaigned to widen transparency in the state's finances and increase health coverage for Texans, particularly children.

[20] Watson served on many committees including the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), of which he is the former Transportation Policy Board Chairman.

[32] State representative Charles "Doc" Anderson of Waco (Texas HD 56) told reporters following the Davis filibuster that the additional special session might "cost taxpayers more than $800,000.

[37] Much of Watson's first year in office was spent mediating a long, very bitter dispute on the CAMPO board over highway improvements in the Austin area.

[citation needed] Upon being elected chairman by the rest of the board in January 2007, Watson led the effort to keep the controversial projects in the region's transportation plan.

[44] In March 2023, amid staffing shortages, 911 response delays at the Austin Police Department, and a viral spree of street racing incidents in which cop cars were harassed with live fireworks,[45] Watson reached an agreement with Governor Greg Abbott and Lt.

Governor Dan Patrick to deploy the Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to patrol Austin, drawing scrutiny from some city council members who were left out of conversations prior to the announcement.

[47] In July 2023, Watson helped secure almost $65 million from the state of Texas for local community groups to expand emergency shelters and provide more resources for people experiencing homelessness.

[49] In August 2023, Integral Care, Travis County's largest mental health provider, announced it was planning to eliminate several staff positions due to budget issues.

[52] In an interview with the Texas Tribune in 2023, Watson signaled that the new Austin City Council would approach land use reform differently than previous ones: “We've got a supply and demand problem, and we're going to have to come up with unique and different ways than we've thought of in the past to solve it.” [52] On December 7, 2023, Austin City Council took the first steps to reform housing policies by passing several new code amendments— including giving homeowners more freedom and the ability to build an additional unit on their lot.

[54] In the spring of 2024, Austin City Council will consider more reforms including encouraging more transit-oriented developments, reducing the 5,750-square-foot minimum lot size in residential areas, and loosening compatibility rules.

[55] Watson faced criticism from some property owners who strongly opposed any changes in the land development code that would allow for more density, citing concerns about neighborhood character and worries about increased gentrification.

[52] Research by NYU’s Furman Center suggest that policies which constrained the housing supply may have unintended consequences for communities including environmental costs from a dependency on automobiles, an growing in suburban and rural sprawl, and increasing inequality.

[59] Watson worked with lawmakers in the Texas House to keep Project Connect alive from a last-minute senate amendment by Bettencourt that would have killed its financing.

[60] In November 2023, a small group of residents including former state senator Gonzalo Barrientos, Travis County commissioner Margaret Gómez, former Austin Council member Ora Houston, former city council candidate Susana Almanza, and hamburger restaurant Dirty Martin’s filed a lawsuit to halt the Project Connect’s funding mechanism.

[61] The plaintiffs found support in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who issued a court filing challenging the validity of Project Connect’s funding mechanism.

[62] In response to the plaintiff’s lawsuit, Austin Transit Partnership, the local government corporation tasked with implementing Project Connect filed a bond validation petition in the Travis County District Court.

"[64] The next day he attended a pro-Israel event, titled "We Stand with Israel"[65] hosted by Shalom Austin and the Israeli-American Council, along with congressman Lloyd Doggett and Texas governor Greg Abbott.

[68] In a statement responding to the stabbing of Zacharia Doar at a pro-Palestine rally in February 2024, Watson supported the Austin Police Department's determination that it was a hate crime.