Draft:Zohaib Qadri

Zohaib "Zo" Qadri is a member of the Austin City Council, serving District 9. He is the first Muslim and first South Asian elected to the Austin City Council. He is affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Education
Qadri moved to Austin initially to study biology at the University of Texas and pursue a career in medicine. He soon decided to switch to a focus on the humanities; he graduated UT with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2013. He later earned a Masters of Public Administration from Texas State University, along with a graduate degree in Global Affairs from Rice University.

Politics
Prior to his election to city council, Qadri was a staffer on various political campaigns. He served as Beto O'Rourke's AAPI outreach director in the 2018 U.S. Senate election. In the 86th legislative session, he served as a legislative assistant to Representative Eric Johnson. In the 2020 Democratic primary, he served as Elizabeth Warren's Regional Organizing Director in South Carolina.

Austin City Council
Qadri is a consistently liberal vote on the Dias. In addition to being the Vice Chair of the Mobility Committee, he serves on the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee, Housing & Planning Committee, Public Health Committee, and Public Safety Committee.

Housing and Transportation
Qadri is considered an urbanist.

In 2023, he authored an item to eliminate minimum parking requirements, which passed on a 9–2 vote.

He also authored an item to eliminate occupancy requirements, which also passed on a 9–2 vote.

He voted for the HOME Initiative, legalizing three units on all single-family lots in Austin.eliminate occupancy requirements, as well as limiting height restrictions, known as compatibility.

He has expressed opposition to the ongoing I-35 expansion project.

Public Safety
In January 2024, Qadri spoke out against the rehiring of former police chief Art Acevedo by City Manager Jesus Garza.

In September 2023, Qadri authored a resolution to ensure that city leaders begin implementing certain aspects of Proposition A, the ballot initiative to increase police oversight that voters overwhelmingly approved in May of 2023.

In September 2023, he voted for a resolution from Jose "Chito" Vela to require the Austin Police Department to make its data publicly accessible on the city's data portal.

Other issues
As of March 2024, along with Councilmembers Vanessa Fuentes and Jose Velasquez, Qadri is one of three co-sponsors on a council resolution in support for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. This resolution has been the subject of immense protest efforts in Austin by grassroots activists, in an effort to pressure council to adopt it.

Election history
Qadri was elected to the Austin City Council in 2022, winning the December 13th runoff election with 51.2% of the vote.