Austin City Council race draws YIMBY movement into focus

What's happening: Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, who is running for reelection, has argued that easing the way for denser construction makes housing more affordable.

• Challenger Rich Heyman, a former University of Texas lecturer, says council members have loosened rules at the behest of developers and corporate interests.
• Katie Kam, a civil engineer and former Austin city planner, and two other challengers are on the ballot.

What they're saying: Citing declining rent, Qadri tells Axios he and the City Council have delivered results by reforming the city housing rules.

• "I want to see an Austin that really works for everyone, where everyone has a chance," says Qadri, who has won endorsements from Mayor Kirk Watson, state Rep. James Talarico, (D-Austin), unions and the University Democrats.

• "We are always for responsible development, but it's important to have good relationships with affordable housing developers. Our opponents use the same talking points and have no real vision about how to help Austinites."

The other side: Heyman criticizes Qadri for approving "sweetheart deals," citing his May vote to approve a development agreement for a 2,600 acre southeast Austin known as Dog's Head, to be anchored by Amazon's robotics division. (In July, Qadri voted against creating a special tax zone for the area.)

• He also criticizes city decisions to embark on a new convention center and an incentives deal struck with Southwest Airlines.
• He tells Axios rents were declining post-pandemic regardless of housing reforms, which were "pushed through without any protections for neighborhoods."
• The council, he says, is composed of "well-meaning liberal-minded people who have been misled" by "right-wing, libertarian think tanks."

Zoom out: As Austin in recent years has reformed its housing rules, the city has been at the vanguard of the yes-in-my-backyard (YIMBY) movement.

• A political action committee called "Zo Must Go" — which didn't return an Axios interview request — argues Qadri is beholden to developers. Its chief funding in the last reporting period has come from the Austin United PAC, which also supports a candidate in District 5 — David Weinberg, who hopes to unseat incumbent Ryan Alter.
• Robin Rather, an environmental and neighborhood advocate, gave the lion's share of money raised by Austin United PAC in the latest reporting period.
• "He doesn't walk the talk," Rather told Axios, arguing that Qadri has not truly addressed affordability or environmental matters the way he said he would, instead voting in line with developers "when push comes to shove."

The intrigue: The election is a test of the political clout of some of the old Austin neighborhoods of District 9, including Travis Heights, Bouldin and Hyde Park, which once dominated city politics, back when the City Council was ushered into office in at-large elections.

• The District 9 vote may pit households in those neighborhoods, many of them sporting Heyman signs, against voters in Mueller and in and around the University of Texas.
• Qadri has the endorsement of the Austin American-Statesman, whose editorial board praised him for "advancing more housing, stronger tenant protections and expanded assistance for people experiencing homelessness."
• Heyman has the endorsement of the Austin Chronicle, which said it was "concerned about the pro-development tilt on Council."

Follow the money: Qadri raised about $11,500 between July 1 and Sept. 24, per the latest campaign finance report, finishing the period with nearly $140,000 on hand.

• Heyman raised about $20,000 and finished with $39,000 on hand. Kam raised about $10,000 and finished with $7,300 on hand.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Zo Qadri voted in favor of a development agreement for the Dog's Head tract (not a special tax zone).