The predominantly African-American ward includes portions of Morgan Park, Roseland, Washington Heights and West Pullman.
As a member of the Chicago City Council, she serves on six committees: Budget and Government operations; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Finance; Health; Housing and Real Estate; and Zoning.
[5] On May 17, 2019, Austin publicly admitted that she had hired family members as interns on her committee payroll, refusing to apologize for it.
[3] The same day, mayor-elect Lightfoot announced that she would be naming Pat Dowell to supplant Austin as the City Council's budget chairman.
[8] Austin's tenure on the Chicago City Council ended when she resigned from office effective March 1, 2023.