Zo Qadri, a UT alumnus and progressive advocate, was sworn in as the new Austin council member for District 9, now representing the vast majority of UT students. 

Qadri, whose district comprises the University and West Campus area, said he hopes to fairly represent the concerns of all constituents within his district 一 including students.

“(Student’s) concerns are just as valid and just as important as anyone else, and I think unfortunately, at times … the outreach hasn’t been done,” Qadri said. “What I hope to do is to uplift a lot of these voices that haven’t had a seat at the table.”

Qadri said he will advocate for more affordable housing, increased pay for city employees and to provide better staffing and working conditions for emergency responders.

Qadri said witnessing hateful rhetoric emerge during the 2016 presidential election motivated him to begin working in politics.

“My hometown mosque, where I had grown up, was burned to the ground,” Qadri said. “(Seeing) a lot of (negative) rhetoric that was going around, I just didn’t want to be on the sidelines anymore.”

After working at an advocacy firm focused on combating voter suppression and anti-abortion legislation, he worked as a campaign organizer for then-Congressman Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 senate campaign, as well as in city municipalities in Kyle and Houston.

James Hallamek, president of University Democrats, said he voted for Qadri because of his promise to improve public transport and make housing more affordable for students and recent graduates. 

“Champion(ing) increased mobility when it comes to public transport, or micro-mobility – I think those are things that will help students,” government senior Hallamek said. “I think we’d be more willing to use some of those public options to get downtown for a job or to go to different places in Austin when sometimes mobility can be an issue for students.”

Hallamek said University Democrats not only endorsed Qadri for city council, but campaigned alongside him on-campus. Libby McTaggart, co-director of Student Government’s Hook the Vote agency, said she saw Qadri campaigning on-campus, and believes his status as a recent UT alumnus helped him further connect with students.

“Students can identify a lot with him,” biology sophomore McTaggart said. “I knew a lot of other students that were working on his campaign … (and) within the more politically-involved social circles on campus, Zo’s name was definitely at the forefront.”

Ana Fuentes, co-director of Hook the Vote, said she hopes Qadri continues to make himself available to students.

“One time I stopped by and talked to him (on campus) … I was on my way to get lunch and so he walked into the union with me to get lunch,” government junior Fuentes said. “He definitely made himself available to students, which is something that I don’t think you see a lot from local leaders.”

As a councilman, Qadri said he will continue to maintain the outreach he established during his campaign.

“The theory and function of every local government (is) to make sure that people have the resources to live in the city and are able to live in the city,” Qadri said. “There’s a body of 10 council members … and we should all strive to make sure that the city functions for everyone.”