Syed Abbas, Frontrunner for Madison City Council

I have always had a passion to serve my community. Working with people and helping my neighbors makes me come alive. After settling in Eken Park, my neighbors gave me such a warm welcome that I wanted to advocate for them by starting in the neighborhood where I’m raising my family. My first child was born while we lived in Eken Park and I’m more invested than ever in keeping the north and east sides of Madison a great place to live for all people, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. I want to use my voice to make a positive impact on the world around me.

Over the past three years I have actively volunteered on several committees. I served as co-chair of the Eken Park Neighborhood Association, vice chair of the Public Safety Review Committee, am a member of the Oscar Mayer Strategic Assessment Committee, and a member of the Task Force on Equity in Music and Entertainment. I also currently work as an energy efficiency project manager for an independent nonprofit. With all these experiences, I have been able to work with a diverse group of people who have different backgrounds and priorities, all of which influence our communities and our local economy.

Madison is a great city, but there are many challenges facing our neighborhoods that I am concerned about, including the opioid crisis, gun violence, transportation infrastructure, and especially affordable housing.

I want our communities to be safer for the people living and working in them. My district faces similar issues to the rest of the city, but one of the biggest concerns in my district is the high unemployment rate. According to the City of Madison Neighborhood Indicators Project, our district, the north side, has an alarmingly high unemployment rate of 11.7 percent. While working on the Oscar Mayer Strategic Committee, I focused on jobs for our diverse community and ensuring a diversity of ownership, while prioritizing the needs of local businesses. As an alder candidate and if elected, I am going to create more livable-wage jobs for communities with high unemployment as well as make our communities safer by finding community solutions to public safety and health concerns.