AUSTIN, TX (KXAN/CNN) – Some people who run for public office have skeletons in their closets.
But there’s one city council candidate who’s taking that to a new level.
"I think I felt like my life was over when I got arrested,” said Lewis Conway Jr., a candidate for Austin City Council.
Conway is trying something unprecedented, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
"I think it's absolutely necessary for folks of my background to begin to own their stories," Conway said.
The candidate spent eight years in prison, and 12 on parole, after pleading guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge in the early 1990s.
"So, we went to prison in 1992,” Conway said. “Ended up doing 2,015 days in prison and 4,012 days on parole."
Conway stabbed a man to death in an east Austin neighborhood. That’s also an area he now wants to represent: City Council District 1.
But whether he can run and hold office remains unclear.
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, felons can only run for office if they have been pardoned or released from “resulting disabilities” – a phrase that’s prompted a lot of confusion.
"Is it a physical disability? Is it a mental disability? In this case it seems to be a social disability," Conway said.
State officials said they’re not aware of a felon running for city council before, and therefore another candidate running for the same office would have to challenge Conway’s eligibility.
Ora Houston, the incumbent city council member for District 1, could not be reached for comment.
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