We also have two rescue dogs, Dennis and Franklin. Dennis was found living under a bush in Buda in 2020; Franklin was adopted from the Austin Animal shelter in 2024. We’ve lived in Cherrywood since we came to Austin in 2006.

About Rich Heyman — Rich Heyman for Austin City Council District 9

My dad was a third-generation slipcover maker. My mom’s parents were immigrants from Poland who fled rising antisemitism in the early 1900s. Before she immigrated, my grandmother went to work in a glass factory—at the age of 8. I was a first-generation college student, attending UCLA for my undergrad.

I spent 30 years researching and teaching about cities, the last 18 years at UT. I have a PhD in urban geography from the University of Washington in Seattle, where I met my wife, Gretchen.

Neighborhood Organizer

I’ve also worked extensively with neighborhood organizations. I’ve been deeply involved with the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association since moving to Austin in 2006, in many capacities, including serving on the steering committee for the last four years. For the past seven or eight years, I’ve also been a member of the North-Central I-35 Neighborhood Coalition (NCINC), working with 13 neighborhood associations and various departments at the City to improve TxDOT’s I-35 project.

Rich Heyman attended UCLA as an undergraduate and earned a Ph.D. in urban geography from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has lived in Austin's Cherrywood neighborhood since 2006 and met his wife, Gretchen, while attending the University of Washington. He has been involved with the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association since moving to Austin, including serving on its steering committee.

2026 Texas General Election

Economic Alternatives

Instead of super-charging the same failed economic development script, we need to adopt new economic development priorities that focus on improving historically low-paying jobs, growing the middle class, and creating an economic foundation that is less dependent on the whims of Wall Street and the profit incentives of global capital. Rather than directing more resources to recruiting “high value” development, we should be investing heavily in growing local & employee-owned businesses and other enterprises that help keep money local, instead of sending profits back to investors on Wall Street or overseas.

A New Economic Development Agenda, or the Same Old Song? — Rich Heyman for Austin City Council District 9

Instead of super-charging the same failed economic development script, we need to adopt new economic development priorities that focus on improving historically low-paying jobs, growing the middle class, and creating an economic foundation that is less dependent on the whims of Wall Street and the profit incentives of global capital. Rather than directing more resources to recruiting “high value” development, we should be investing heavily in growing local & employee-owned businesses and other enterprises that help keep money local, instead of sending profits back to investors on Wall Street or overseas. Local and employee-owned businesses are more resilient, less likely to lay off people, less likely to pollute the local environment, and less likely to make decisions that do not benefit the wider community—because they live in and are part of that community.

The proposed TIRZ agreement for the Dog’s Head is a bad deal for the people of Austin. The terms of the deal mean that the Dog’s Head development wouldn’t pay for itself for more than 35 years. We would pay to make up the deficits created by new residents or suffer reduced services.

Why the Dog’s Head Project Is a Bad Deal for Current Residents of Austin — Rich Heyman for Austin City Council District 9

Advocates for economic development that improves low-paying jobs, grows the middle class, and invests in local and employee-owned businesses.

Opposes the proposed Dog’s Head Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone agreement, citing its projected costs and effect on city services.

- Advocates for economic development that improves low-paying jobs, grows the middle class, and invests in local and employee-owned businesses.
- Opposes the proposed Dog’s Head Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone agreement, citing its projected costs and effect on city services.

Economy

We need a city that protects its public assets and supports its public servant employees — not one that outsources jobs and turns over precious public resources to unaccountable private entities.

Issues — Rich Heyman for Austin City Council District 9

We need a city council that sees neighbors and neighborhoods as partners — not obstacles. One that listens to Austinites — not just lobbyists.

Supports protecting public assets and public-service employees rather than outsourcing city jobs and resources to private entities.

Calls for a city council that treats neighborhoods as partners and listens to residents as well as lobbyists.

- Supports protecting public assets and public-service employees rather than outsourcing city jobs and resources to private entities.
- Calls for a city council that treats neighborhoods as partners and listens to residents as well as lobbyists.

Public Services

People who advocate for land-use deregulation to allow new supply at the luxury end of the market claim that new market-rate housing will make all housing more affordable through the mechanism of “filtering.” Filtering is where older, cheaper units become available to lower-income families, as housing “filters” or trickles down to them when higher-earners vacate their units for newer ones and middle-income earners, in turn, move up into the vacated, formerly high-income units, etc. In theory, this sounds great, but estimates based on actual data show that it takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 years for “filtering” to reach extremely low-income households. Filtering is not a realistic way to address the affordability crisis.

Instead of relying on the bankrupt idea of trickle-down housing, a much more direct and immediate way of addressing the affordability crisis would be to provide an abundance of subsidized housing to low-income families at below-market rates.

Austin’s Housing Shortage: Myth or Reality? — Rich Heyman for Austin City Council District 9

We need responsible development. With tenant protections. With support for community-based economic development. We need a city that gives people more control over their working lives and their futures.

I also want to be clear that development itself is not the problem. Change is inevitable. In fact, we need responsible development that protects those most at risk of being priced out. We need density that supports public transit and meets the climate crisis head-on. But heedlessly bending our land-use policies at the behest of billionaire oligarchs and turning our housing needs over to the ruthless grind of global capital? That’s not the answer.

The reality is quite different. Blaming high housing costs on local land-use regulations, such as zoning, is a form of distraction that takes us away from the kinds of things that are actually driving up housing costs, such as a lack of subsidized housing for lower-income Austinites, the flow of investment capital into housing, and the related holding of housing units off the housing market. So why are we being told that the real problem is the “housing supply crisis?” Just follow the money.

Advocates for abundant subsidized, below-market housing for low-income families rather than relying on housing-market filtering.

Supports responsible development with tenant protections and protections for residents at risk of displacement.

Said zoning deregulation does not address the main drivers of high housing costs, including insufficient subsidized housing and housing investment practices.

- Advocates for abundant subsidized, below-market housing for low-income families rather than relying on housing-market filtering.
- Supports responsible development with tenant protections and protections for residents at risk of displacement.
- Said zoning deregulation does not address the main drivers of high housing costs, including insufficient subsidized housing and housing investment practices.

Housing & Urban Development

The people of Austin deserve accountability from our leadership, including meaningful reforms that help to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future, including independent police oversight that results in proper training, policies, and, when warranted, punishments.

The July 24 Killing of Anthoneil Williams by APD Officers and Suicide by Cop — Rich Heyman for Austin City Council District 9

The bodycam footage points to the need for a change in training and culture in the APD. Officers should be taught and directed to take a non-confrontational approach and to deescalate, especially now that many of the calls they go on involve mental health issues.

The 911 recording points to the need to move the 911 call center out of the police department and into a civilian department of the city so that operators are trained properly to listen to callers specifically for signs of distress and to not use leading questions that may create a more dangerous situation than already exists. 911 should be administratively separate from the police department.

Giving investigative powers to the Office of Police Oversight and having it report directly to City Council, as the City Auditor does, rather than reporting to the APD chain of command would be a meaningful step towards accountability and would give us a better foundation for preventing tragic events, such as the shooting death of an unarmed Black teen by APD officers.

Calls for independent police oversight that can improve training and policies and impose punishment when warranted.

Calls for police training and directives emphasizing non-confrontational responses and de-escalation, particularly in mental-health calls.

Proposes moving the 911 call center from the police department to a civilian city department.

Calls for the Office of Police Oversight to have investigative powers and report directly to City Council.

- Calls for independent police oversight that can improve training and policies and impose punishment when warranted.
- Calls for police training and directives emphasizing non-confrontational responses and de-escalation, particularly in mental-health calls.
- Proposes moving the 911 call center from the police department to a civilian city department.
- Calls for the Office of Police Oversight to have investigative powers and report directly to City Council.

Public Safety

“I'm an advocate for trying to figure out better modes of transportation for students,” Heyman said. “(For) trying to make it possible that people can go from places where they live, to where they work, to where they learn, (and) to where they want to hang out.”

Former UT professor arrested during pro-Palestine protest runs for City Council

Advocates for transportation options that help students and other residents travel among home, work, school, and recreation.

- Advocates for transportation options that help students and other residents travel among home, work, school, and recreation.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Supports density that supports public transit and addresses climate change.

- Supports density that supports public transit and addresses climate change.

Energy & the Environment

Rich Heyman

- Supports responsible development with tenant protections and protections for residents at risk of displacement.
- Said zoning deregulation does not address the main drivers of high housing costs, including insufficient subsidized housing and housing investment practices.

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

Dave Thadani

Kai Huang

Katie Kam

Zohaib “Zo” Qadri

- City council members collaborate to create and enforce city policies, including legislation on essential services like police, fire, parks, libraries, and utilities.
- They work alongside the mayor to manage city departments, including transportation and parks and recreation.
- Council members can be elected to represent specific districts or the entire city at-large.
- The structure of city councils, including the number of members, their terms, term limits, and partisanship, differs by county.

Passes laws and regulations for your city.