Syed Abbas hopes to provide the Northside adequate representation as alderman of the 12th District. He is running to replace Alder Larry Palm, who is not running for re-election. The primary election is Tuesday, February 19.
“I am running because my last three years in this neighborhood, I realize there is a gap between East side, where I live, and North Side. Northside does not get fair representation,” Abbas said in a recent interview.
Abbas, originally from Pakistan, relocated to Madison three years ago after living in New York City where he worked in public policy. He moved to Madison with his wife Holly, a lifelong Badger, and said he quickly fell in love with the community. Abbas and his wife chose to raise their children in Madison.
Abbas said his neighbors were both welcoming and accepting. He did not wait long before exploring opportunities to get involve in his local community.
“For the last three years, I was actively involved in the Eken Park Neighborhood Association,” Abbas said.
He serves as the Co-Chair of the Eken Park Neighborhood Association, Vice Chair and citizen member of the Public Safety Review Committee, member of the Oscar Mayer Strategic Assessment Committee, and member of the Task Force on Equity in Music and Entertainment. Abbas said one of the highlights of his work in the community includes helping with Eken Park Festival. He also said he enjoys getting to know his neighbors.
“I live next to Eken Park. I bought a house next to Eken Park intentionally,” Abbas said.
He said one of his favorite things about Madison are the parks and the farmers’ markets. Abbas campaign for alder includes working to advocate for clean energy, safe communities, affordable housing and health & wellness initiatives.
“I just want to do something good for society and just looking at my daughter and raising a family, I want to create a society that is sustainable and inclusive of people of color,” he said.
Abbas said as alder he would like to build trust in the local government, especially in the Northside where voices have not been heard. He said the Northside should have the opportunity to share their concerns with their local government.
“It’s very important for the local government to be there for every single issue and represent those voices,” Abbas said.
He cited his experience working on an appointed committee by the Mayor’s Office as a reason why he believes he is qualified for the job. Abbas’ role was to investigate how the closing of Oscar Mayer affected his community.
“By involving myself in Oscar Mayer, we had a big session where we get input from the community,” he said.
Abbas thinks economic development on the Northside is important. While he hopes to advocate for more accessible transportation options like better bus routes and bike paths for people to get to work, he also would like to partner with Madison College so Northside residents have the opportunity to develop skill sets needed for jobs in the area.
Abbas thinks training in different trades will give people a chance to find employment. He also said more positions should be available to candidates of color.
“This high unemployment is unacceptable,” Abbas said.
He said he will also focus on making sure residents have efficient transportation to their jobs. Abbas said there should be sidewalks and curbs to serve disabled people. He said transportation needs to be ADA compliant.
When it comes to affordable housing, Abbas said it is a must. He said the city should work to find innovative ideas to tackle the issue such as co-op housing while providing resources to disadvantaged residents.
“The design should be more focused toward people and not just giving them a roof,” Abbas said.
Abbas is running against three other candidates, including Diane Farsetta, Lydia Maurer and Mark-Anthony Whitaker. The top two vote-getters in the primary on Tuesday, February 19, will face off in the April 2 general election.
