Bill Spelman, a prominent voice in public policy as both a former Austin City Council member and longtime UT-Austin professor, died July 17 after an illness. He was 68.

Spelman served twice on City Council, from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2009 to 2015. Known for asking tough but fair questions of city staff, he relied heavily on data – often presenting his findings in PowerPoint presentations from the dais. He carefully weighed his decisions, and many times was the swing vote on what was then a six-member, at-large Council.

“He was still publishing, still writing, and doing original research,” his wife, Niyanta Spelman, a global conservationist, told the Chronicle Monday night. She noted that he had more than 6,000 academic citations to his credit, an uncommon milestone for many scholars. Most recently, he had been studying the cohort effect – how shared experiences based on birth year, geography, and other factors shape behaviors, including crime patterns and illness. “He wanted to make the world a better place,” she said.

“He was the professor on Council,” recalled state Rep. Sheryl Cole, a former Council member who served with Spelman from 2009 to 2015. “He was a policy wonk who was always prepared. He was loyal and honest – just a true public servant.”

Though well-regarded as a Council member, Spelman was a veritable rock star at the LBJ School, where he taught urban policy and mentored generations of students and future public leaders.

“Spelman was peerless at LBJ in his unapologetic eccentricity, combined with a zeal that hard data does matter, and could be put to use while sitting in elected office,” Peter La Fountain, a 2014 LBJ School graduate, wrote in a text message to the Chronicle. “In this way he perfectly represented the tenor of Austin in the era when he taught and served.”

In addition to his wife, Spelman is survived by two sons, Jasiel and Ronan, and his sister Janice Spelman. A private family service was planned for this week; details on a public service are still being finalized.

Spelman’s passing marks another loss from a generation of former City Council leaders. Chris Riley, who served alongside him, died a year ago this month; Jackie Goodman, who served for 12 years starting in 1993, died in June of this year; and Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Austin’s first and only woman mayor, died in March.