Yassamin Ansari
Member of the Phoenix City Council
from the 7th district
Assumed office
April 19, 2021
Preceded byMichael Nowakowski
Personal details
Born (1992-04-07) April 7, 1992
Political partyDemocratic
EducationStanford University (BA)
St. John's College, Cambridge (MPhil)

Yassamin Ansari (born April 7, 1992)[1] is a climate policy leader and politician currently serving on the Phoenix City Council and acting as the city's vice mayor.[2][3][4] She is the youngest person ever elected to the council and the first Iranian American elected to public office in Arizona.[1] She has worked for the United Nations on climate policy, played a role in organizing various climate action events, and led local climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. Her work has been recognized by Grist and Forbes magazines.

Early activities

Ansari was born April 7, 1992, to parents who immigrated to the United States from Iran.[1][5] In high school, she organized with the Arizona Democratic Party in support of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and worked with her mother to tutor Somali refugees.[5] Ansari attended Stanford University, and received a bachelor's degree in international relations.[5][6] During college, Ansari interned for Nancy Pelosi.[7][8] After graduating, she was selected for The John Gardner Fellowship Program and started working in the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[8] She worked as a senior policy advisor with Ki-moon, spending a year working on the Paris Agreement, and later worked in the same role with Ki-moon's successor, António Guterres.[2][6] She started working towards a master's degree in international relations and politics from St. John's College, Cambridge in 2016, which she ultimately received.[6][8][9] She continued to be involved in promoting climate action, helping plan the Climate Action 2016 Summit, the Global Climate Action Summit, and the first U.N. Youth Climate Summit.[10][11][12]

Political career

Phoenix City Council

Ansari ran in a November 2020 election to fill the seat vacated by Michael Nowakowski, representing Phoenix's 7th District.[13] The top two of the five contenders in the general election, Ansari and Cinthia Estela, continued to a runoff election that took place on March 9, 2021.[7][13] Ansari took office as a council member on April 19, 2021.[14]

While in office, she created an Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.[15] It has sought to plant trees, reduce pavement heat absorption, educate residents, and distribute resources including water.[16] She helped develop a plan to promote use of electric vehicles, and advocated for the city to purchase hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric public buses.[17][18] She attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference with Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego, as well as the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference.[10][19][20]

Along with other Phoenix City Council members, Ansari was criticized in 2022 for using a suite at Footprint Center, a sports venue owned by the city, to watch games and concerts; following the criticism, the council voted to review its economic development efforts and consider leasing out the suite.[21][22]

Candidacy for US House of Representatives

At the beginning of February 2023, journalists reported that Ansari was a potential contender for Arizona's 3rd congressional district.[23][24] On April 4 of that year, she announced her candidacy.[1][25] She is running as a Democrat and led early fundraising in the race.[4][26][27][28] In September 2023, Axios reported that Ansari and Raquel Terán would likely dominate the race.[29]

Political positions

Ansari has advocated for climate action and sustainability efforts.[10] Ansari has expressed support for unions and LGBT rights.[30][31] She has also supported expanding temporary and affordable housing options to help address homelessness in Phoenix.[32]

Climate Change

In her first year in office, Phoenix Mayor Gallego selected Ansari to chair the Electric Vehicle Ad Hoc Committee, which led the unanimous passage of Transportation Electrification Plan's EV Roadmap. This roadmap will accelerate “the transition to EVs with three main focuses: prioritizing equity in communities impacted by poor air quality, accelerating public adoption through education and leading by example through Phoenix electrifying its own fleets.” 

During her tenure, Phoenix passed its first Climate Action Plan and opened the first publicly funded Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.

Housing and homelessness  

Phoenix District 7 is home to the highest number of homeless shelters and services. Ansari added nine additional positions to the Office of Homeless Solutions, which reports to the City Manager. “The Zone” located in District 7, part of a recent court rulings and federal investigations, has been a focus of Ansari's since day one in office. Her tenure marked a shift in a more resource-led and targeted approach to homelessness – creating 1,392 shelter beds by 2024 and approving hundreds of affordable homes.  

Ansari has been an advocate for zoning reforming. The zoning reforms include legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. On September 6, 2023, Phoenix passed a new ordinance legalizing ADUs throughout the city.

Major Initiatives  

Ansari supports the development of new parks, pools and community centers. She helped secure funding for new parks in South Phoenix, Laveen and Estrella, including the Estrella Civic Space Park and Branch Library which will be part of Phoenix’s GO Bond on the November 7, 2023, election.  

As part of her climate action initiatives, Ansari supports expanded public transit options and resources for transit users. She worked with the Si Se Puede Neighborhood Association to add another bus stop to their Maryvale circulator route.  

With the funding the City of Phoenix received from the federal government for COVID-19 relief, Ansari has funded several projects, including the Phoenix Promise Program to provide free tuition to Phoenix residents seeking two- or four-year degrees from Maricopa Community Colleges and a full year of free transit passes for thousands of residents. She also secured an additional $5.3 million for helping refugees and asylees through refugee resettlement organizations. 

Awards and honors

In 2019, Grist was selected for the Grist 50, an annual list of people taking environmental action.[11] In 2020, Ansari was selected for the Forbes 30 under 30: Policy and Law list.[6]

Electoral history

2020 Phoenix City Council District 7 Election

November 3, 2020 General Election[33]
Candidate Votes  %
Cinthia Estela 15,929 32.33
Yassamin Ansari 15,813 32.09
Francisca Montoya 8,897 18.06
G. Grayson Flunoy 4,301 8.73
Susan Mercado-Gudino 4,051 8.22
Write-in 282 0.57
Total votes 49,272 100.00

2021 Phoenix City Council District 7 Runoff Election

March 9, 2021 Runoff Election[34]
Candidate Votes  %
Yassamin Ansari 7,850 58.33
Cinthia Estela 5,609 41.67
Total votes 13,459 100.0

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kavaler, Tara (April 4, 2023). "Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari running for Congress". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  2. 1 2 "Phoenix City Council chooses vice mayor for 2023". The Daily Independent at YourValley.net. January 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  3. ↑ "City Council District 7 Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari". www.phoenix.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  4. 1 2 Fernandez, Madison (2023-08-21). "What to expect when you're expecting (to miss the first debate)". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  5. 1 2 3 Siddiqui, Daniya (2023-08-16). "From councilwoman to congressional campaign: Vice mayor Yassamin Ansari's political journey". High School Insider. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Yassamin Ansari". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  7. 1 2 Fifield, Jen; Taros, Megan (February 11, 2021). "Southwest Phoenix will decide a critical District 7 City Council race. Voting begins this week". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. 1 2 3 Fifield, Jen. "Phoenix City Council's District 7 contenders Yassamin Ansari, Cinthia Estela talk experiences, respond to critics". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  9. ↑ Thompson, Claire (2021-06-15). "Why this U.N. climate expert ran for city council". Fix. Grist. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  10. 1 2 3 Wu, Jack (2023-03-23). "Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari leads charge against climate change". Cronkite News - Arizona PBS. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  11. 1 2 "Grist 50: 2019 Archives". Grist. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  12. ↑ Barrón, Alicia (November 12, 2020). "This UN Climate Advisor Worked on Global Policy. Now She Wants to Help Phoenix. - The Copper Courier". The Copper Courier. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  13. 1 2 "2 Phoenix City Council seats up for grabs Tuesday in runoff election". KTAR.com. 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  14. ↑ Estes, Christina (2021-04-19). "Phoenix Mayor, 4 City Council Members Sworn In Monday". KJZZ. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  15. ↑ Loewe, Emma (2023-01-24). "Can cities eliminate heat-related deaths in a warming world? Phoenix is trying". Grist. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  16. ↑ Caldwell, Alicia; Carlton, Jim. "Phoenix Tries to Keep Residents Cool as Heat-Related Deaths Soar in Arizona". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  17. ↑ Astor, Maggie (2022-07-01). "As Federal Climate-Fighting Tools Are Taken Away, Cities and States Step Up". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  18. ↑ Rivera, SuElen (2022-08-19). "Phoenix granted $16.3M for public transit buses, infrastructure". KTAR.com. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  19. ↑ Syed, Zayna. "As cities take the lead in climate action, Phoenix leaders will attend Glasgow conference". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  20. ↑ Alam, Adnan (2022-01-07). "Here's what you need to know about Phoenix's Climate Action Plan". Cronkite News - Arizona PBS. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  21. ↑ Boehm, Jessica (2022-12-19). "Phoenix council members used city suite to watch NBA Finals, concerts". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  22. ↑ Boehm, Jessica (2023-02-16). "Phoenix may ban council members from using Footprint Center suite". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  23. ↑ Duda, Jeremy (2023-01-24). "Democratic primary for open House seat left by Gallego's Senate run could get crowded". Axios. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  24. ↑ "Journalist's Roundtable: Ruben Gallego runs for Senate". Arizona PBS. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  25. ↑ "Phoenix Vice Mayor Ansari announces run for Congress". The Daily Independent at YourValley.net. April 4, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  26. ↑ Irwin, Lauren (2023-07-24). "Open, targeted House seats drive fundraising as numerous hopefuls line up". Cronkite News. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  27. ↑ Feinberg, Allie (August 11, 2023). "Ylenia Aguilar has suspended her congressional campaign for Rep. Ruben Gallego's seat". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  28. ↑ Gibson, Brittany (2023-07-25). "Progressive Working Families Party backs candidate to replace Rep. Ruben Gallego". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  29. ↑ Duda, Jeremy (August 29, 2023). "Ansari and Terán likely to dominate CD3 race following Pastor's departure". Axios. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Leaders Applaud the President's State of the Union Address". The White House. 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  31. ↑ Estes, Christina (2021-10-21). "Phoenix Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari hosts first LGBTQ+ block party". KJZZ. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  32. ↑ Lum, Justin (2022-05-25). "'City of a Thousand': Phoenix councilwoman returns to 'the zone,' optimistic about tackling homeless crisis". FOX 10 Phoenix. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  33. ↑ "FINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS General Election Maricopa County November 3, 2020" (PDF). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  34. ↑ "City of Phoenix March 9, 2021 Runoff Election Official Results" (PDF). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
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