Austin voters will head back to the polls this Thursday for early voting in the city's runoff election. Voters will choose the city's next mayor and three new city council members. The two front runners, Zohaib "Zo" Qadri and Linda Guerrero are still in the District 9 city council race fighting to the finish for a seat on the dais.
“This campaign has been so exciting and interesting. I came in and jumped in a little bit late, but I’ve been trying to catch up," Guerrero said.
“To be able to continue to do this work to work to do right by folks in Austin and specifically in District 9, it’s such a beautiful opportunity," Qadri said.
Qadri is a former political and advocacy strategist. Guerrero is an Austin ISD teacher who has served on several city commissions. Ahead of early voting on Thursday, CBS Austin asked them about affordable housing, crime, and the city's homelessness problem among other issues. Both are advocates for living wages and agree the city is suffering from an affordable housing crisis.
“One of the issues that I’m most concerned with housing is that the middle class is vanishing and evaporating. So, I think we need to very much look at the multi-families that are able to have the ability to come in and have their wages equate to being able to either rent or buy and that’s not happening right now," said Guerrero said.
“There are folks being pushed out of the city. Living in this city is becoming increasingly difficult," Qadri said.
This comes as more Austinites are experiencing homelessness. Guerrero believes the HEAL initiative is working to get people the services they need.
“It is getting people out of the encampments and giving them wrap-around services so that they can then step into more supportive permanent housing," she said.
Qadri is taking a housing-first approach by prioritizing mental health and substance abuse help.
“Putting a roof over their head and making sure that they have proper shelter. I don’t think the camping ban solved anything. It just kind of pushed a lot of our unhoused community out of site out of mind. I don’t public camping solves anything. That’s not a way of life that I wish on anyone," he said.
Crime is also a hot-button issue that plagues downtown Austin's Entertainment District. Both would continue efforts on the Safer 6th Street Initiative spearheaded by their predecessor, Kathie Tovo.
“I think it comes down to that we want to make sure our police officers are in a position to succeed and do the job that they’re trained to do and that’s to protect this community," Qadri said.
"I spoke with the downtown commander and we had a very long discussion about ways that we can start not only using that initiative but expanding it and that once they get this initiative rolling all kinds of different possibilities can come forward," Guerrero said.
Early voting for Austin's runoff elections begins Thursday at 7 a.m.