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Jumaane Williams

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Jumaane Williams
Williams in 2022
5th New York City Public Advocate
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 19, 2019
Preceded byLetitia James
Corey Johnson (acting)
Member of the New York City Council
from the 45th district
In office
January 1, 2010 – March 19, 2019
Preceded byKendall Stewart
Succeeded byFarah Louis[1]
Personal details
Born (1976-05-11) May 11, 1976 (age 48)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Working Families Party
Democratic Socialists of America
EducationBrooklyn College
(BA, MA)
SalaryUS$184,800 (2021)[2]
WebsiteGovernment website

Jumaane D. Williams (/dʒuˈmɑːni/ joo-MAH-nee; born May 11, 1976) is an American activist and politician who has served as the New York City Public Advocate since 2019. He is a former member of the New York City Council from the 45th district, which includes East Flatbush, Flatbush, Flatlands, Marine Park, and Midwood in Brooklyn.

A member of the Democratic Party and a self-described democratic socialist,[3][4] Williams was a member of the New York City Council from 2010 to 2019. He served as Deputy Leader of the City Council and as chair of the Task Force on City Workforce Equity. A candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 2018, he lost to incumbent Kathy Hochul. Williams was elected New York City Public Advocate in the 2019 special election to complete the term of Letitia James, who resigned to become Attorney General of New York. He was re-elected in 2021. Williams ran for governor in 2022, losing to incumbent governor Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary.

Early life and education

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Williams's parents, Greg and Patricia Williams,[5] are from St. Andrew, Grenada. His father was a footballer and cricketer before moving to the U.S. to study medicine.[6] He has a brother.[7]

Williams is an alumnus of Brooklyn Technical High School and Brooklyn College, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 2001 and a Master of Arts in urban policy and administration in 2005.[8]

Political career

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New York City Council (2010–2019)

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Williams was elected after defeating incumbent Councilmember Kendall Stewart in the September 2009 Democratic primary by a margin of 12 points.[9] Williams won the general election[10] with an endorsement from the Working Families Party.[11] He was easily reelected in 2013.

In June 2013, the New York City Council passed Williams's Community Safety Act, which established an Inspector General to oversee the New York Police Department (NYPD) and created an enforceable ban against bias-based profiling.[12][13] The Act was passed over then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto.[14] Williams has been an outspoken opponent of the NYPD's approach to stop-and-frisk in New York City.[15]

In July 2013, Williams introduced "house party" legislation requiring parties with 40 or more people in attendance to register with the police. He also wants event organizers who advertise on social media and those charging admission to pay fines.[16]

On June 29, 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Williams's legislation, the Fair Chance Act, commonly known as Ban the Box. The law prohibits public and private employers from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment is made.[17]

On August 13, 2015, the New York City Council passed Intro. 700, Williams's legislation, which, along with bills sponsored by Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick, established regulations for "tenant relocation specialists", people landlords employ to buy out tenants. The mayor signed the legislation into law on September 9, 2015.[18]

Williams has cited his religious beliefs as an influence on his views on issues such as gay marriage and abortion. He expressed opposition to gay marriage and abortion as recently as 2017, but has since altered his position on these issues.[19][20][21] As of 2019, Williams had reportedly received a 100% rating from the Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Fund.[22]

Williams resigned from office on March 19, 2019 to become New York City Public Advocate.[23][better source needed] He declined to back his former staffer, Farah Louis, to succeed him on the city council, instead endorsing Monique Chandler-Waterman,[24] who lost to Louis in the May special election.[25]

2018 lieutenant gubernatorial campaign

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In 2018, Williams challenged incumbent lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, running on a platform of anti-corruption, affordable housing, and criminal justice reform.[26] Williams and Cynthia Nixon, who challenged incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, endorsed each other. Williams lost the primary by less than seven points.[27]

New York City Public Advocate (2019-present)

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Main article: 2019 New York City Public Advocate special election

Williams ran in the 2019 special election for New York City Public Advocate when Letitia James vacated her seat to become New York state attorney general.[28] The New York Times endorsed him in both his 2018 campaign for lieutenant governor and his 2019 campaign for public advocate.[26][29] The New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America endorsed him in 2018,[30] but in 2019 did not endorse anyone for Public Advocate. The New York Daily News broke the story of his 2009 arrest in a domestic dispute, publishing records that had been sealed, which were used by rival candidates.[31]

In a crowded field with 18 other candidates, including former council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and state assemblyman Michael Blake, Williams won, with 33% of the vote to Mark-Viverito's 11% and Blake's 8%. Republican Eric Ulrich received 19%.[32][33] In his post-election remarks Williams said that he would work with Mayor de Blasio.[34] He was certified and sworn into office on March 19, 2019.[23]

In the case that New York City mayor Eric Adams resigns or is removed from office due to ongoing criminal investigations into his administration, Williams will become interim mayor until a special election can select a new mayor.[35]

In 2024, Williams said he was against a proposed zoning change that would have eliminated parking mandates for new housing units.[36]

2022 gubernatorial campaign

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Main article: 2022 New York gubernatorial election

On September 28, 2021, Williams announced the formation of an exploratory committee to seek the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022.[37] On November 16, 2021, Williams formally announced his bid for governor.[38] Williams finished second in the June 2022 Democratic primary, losing to Gov. Kathy Hochul by a wide margin.[39] While Williams initially received the support of the Working Families Party, the Party dropped him from the ballot and endorsed Hochul following the June primary.[40]

Activism

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Williams speaks at a 2012 protest following the killing of Trayvon Martin

On September 5, 2011, during the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, Williams and Kirsten John Foy, director of community relations for then-New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, were arrested and handcuffed for walking along a closed-off sidewalk, after having received permission to do so from other officers.[41][42][43]

Williams was a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement,[44] and in September 2012 was assaulted by a member of the NYPD at an Occupy Wall Street event.[43][45]

Williams was also arrested in 2018 for protesting the detention of immigrant-rights activist Ravi Ragbir after Ragbir was detained during one of his regular check-ins with ICE.[46]

Personal life

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Williams was diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Tourette syndrome as a child[47] and has advocated for people with those conditions.[47][48][49][50][51]

Williams is a Baptist.[19]

Williams was arrested in 2009 following a domestic dispute.[31]

Electoral history

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Election history
Office Year Election Results
NYC Council
District 45 		2009 Primary,

Democratic

√ Jumaane D. Williams 36.50%
Kendall Stewart 25.48%
Sam Taitt 16.56%
Dexter A. McKenzie 11.56%
Ernest Emmanuel 5.73%
Erlene King 4.18%
General √ Jumaane D. Williams (D) 76.65%
Kendall Stewart (I) 17.25%
Salvatore Grupico (R) 6.11%
2013 Primary,

Democratic

√ Jumaane D. Williams 76.51%
Godwin B. Williams 12.40%
Jean H. Similien 11.09%
General √ Jumaane D. Williams (D) 96.28%
Erlene King (Rent Is Too Damn High) 3.17%
Lieutenant Governor of New York 2018 Primary,

Democratic

√ Kathy Hochul (D) 53.4%
Jumaane D. Williams (D) 46.6%
New York City Public Advocate 2019 Special √ Jumaane D. Williams 33%
Eric Ulrich 19%[32]
Melissa Mark-Viverito 11%[32]
Michael Blake 8%[32]
15 others together 29%
2021 General √ Jumaane D. Williams (D) 68%
Devi Nampiaparampil (R) 23%
Anthony Herbert (C) 6%


Governor of New York 2022 Primary

Democratic

v Kathy Hochul (D) 67.4%
Jumaane D. Williams (D) 19.3%
Thomas Suozzi 13.0%

References

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  1. ^ Fox, Joey (June 18, 2019). "Quick Rematch in Second Special Election for Brooklyn City Council Seat". Gotham Gazette.
  2. ^ govsalaries.com/salaries/NY/public-advocate
  3. ^ Day, Meagan (August 15, 2018). ""I Have No Problem Saying I'm a Democratic Socialist"". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  4. ^ Glueck, Katie (September 28, 2021). "Jumaane Williams May Challenge Gov. Hochul in Democratic Litmus Test". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Minsky, Tequila (May 16, 2011). "Jumaane Williams celebrates birthday". Caribbean Life. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  6. ^ "Jumaane Williams is the first Grenadian-American elected to political office in New York". Everybody's. September 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011.
  7. ^ Anderson, Lincoln (February 28, 2019). "Oh, Maane! Williams Crushes Advocate Race". Chelsea Now. p. 3.[dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Jumaane D. Williams". New York City Council website.
  9. ^ Brydson, Nicole (January 7, 2010). "Community Activists are Brooklyn's Newest Council Members". Brooklyn (the borough). Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.
  10. ^ Chan, Sewell (November 5, 2009). "Election Remakes City Council, and May Give It More Bite, Too". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Goldenberg, Sally; Seifman, David (January 1, 2010). "WFP's 'hire' power". New York Post.
  12. ^ "Int 1079-2013 Investigating, reviewing, studying, and auditing of and making of recommendations relating to the operations, policies, programs and practices of the NYPD by the commissioner of the department of investigation". New York City Council.
  13. ^ "Int 1080-2013 Prohibiting bias-based profiling". New York City Council.
  14. ^ Goodman, J. David (June 27, 2013). "City Council Votes to Increase Oversight of New York Police". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  15. ^ Gonnerman, Jennifer (May 12, 2013). "114 Minutes With Jumaane Williams". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  16. ^ "NYC Councilman Williams Proposes 'House Party' Legislation". CBS Local New York. July 5, 2013. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022.
  17. ^ "Mayor de Blasio Signs "Fair Chance Act"". Office of the Mayor, City of New York.
  18. ^ "The New York City Council". New York City Council.
  19. ^ a b Goodman, J. David (January 22, 2018). "Brooklyn Councilman Took on the Police. Next Up: The Governor". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  20. ^ Schindler, Paul (October 27, 2017). "The Evolution of a Brooklyn Progressive". Gay City News. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  21. ^ Pazmino, Gloria (September 25, 2017). "In crowded speaker's race, one councilman's conservative views may be a deal breaker". Politico PRO. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  22. ^ McDonough, Annie (February 22, 2019). "Is Jumaane Williams made of Teflon?". CSNY. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  23. ^ a b @JumaaneWilliams (March 19, 2019). "Finally getting rid of that nagging "Elect." Election's been certified and letter of resignation is in!!! As Stevie Wonder said — ☑️ Signed ☑️ Sealed ☑️ Delivered I'm yoooour voice, NYC. Let's get to work" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Coltin, Jeff (April 16, 2019). "Jumaane Williams backs Chandler-Waterman to replace him". CSNY. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019.
  25. ^ Katinas, Paula (May 15, 2019). "Farah Louis wins special election for City Council seat". Brooklyn Eagle.
  26. ^ a b The Editorial Board (September 6, 2018). "Opinion: The New York Times endorses Jumaane Williams for lieutenant governor in Thursday's primary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  27. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (September 13, 2018). "Kathy Hochul beats back challenge from Jumaane Williams in lieutenant governor race". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  28. ^ Mays, Jeffery C. (October 23, 2018). "'Even While Losing,' Councilman Sees a Way to Win: As Public Advocate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  29. ^ The Editorial Board (February 21, 2019). "Opinion: Jumaane Williams for public advocate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  30. ^ Marans, Daniel (July 30, 2018). "Democratic Socialists Endorse Cynthia Nixon For Governor Of New York". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  31. ^ a b Parascandola, Rocco; Jorgensen, Jillian (February 24, 2019). "Jumaane Williams, councilman running for public advocate, was arrested in 2009 argument with girlfriend". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  32. ^ a b c d "Ju the maane! Williams romps in advocate race". The Villager. February 27, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  33. ^ Jorgensen, Jillian (February 26, 2019). "Jumaane Williams elected public advocate in special election". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  34. ^ Matthews, Karen (February 26, 2019). "Jumaane Williams Wins Race for NYC Public Advocate". NBC New York. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  35. ^ Honan, Katie (September 25, 2024). "Mayor Eric Adams Indicted by Federal Grand Jury". The City. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  36. ^ "City of Yes: Council Hears Rezoning Plan as Jumaane Thumbs the Scale". nyc.streetsblog.org. October 22, 2024.
  37. ^ Banjo, Shelly (September 28, 2021). "Jumaane Williams Launches Exploratory Bid for N.Y. Governor". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  38. ^ Axelrod, Ted (November 16, 2021). "Williams launches New York gubernatorial bid". The Hill.
  39. ^ "Gov. Kathy Hochul wins the Democratic primary". The New York Times. July 1, 2022.
  40. ^ Lewis, Rebecca (July 7, 2022). "New York's true two-person race for governor". City & State. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  41. ^ "Councilman Jumaane Williams arrested after altercation with NYPD at West Indian Day Parade: cops". Daily News. New York. September 5, 2012.
  42. ^ Williams, Jumaane D. (September 9, 2011). "What happened to me at the parade: City Councilman Jumaane Williams explains how he ended up in cuffs". The Black Institute.
  43. ^ a b "PHOTO: Councilman Roughed Up By Cops During Occupy Protest". HuffPost. September 18, 2012. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019.
  44. ^ "An Open Letter to Occupy Wall Street". Jumaane D. Williams.
  45. ^ Paybarah, Azi (September 18, 2012). "Video shows Councilman Jumaane Williams getting pushed off a bench". Politico PRO.
  46. ^ Anderson, Lincoln, "Oh, maane! Williams crushes advocate race," The Villager, February 28, 2019
  47. ^ a b "About". Jumaane Williams for NYC Public Advocate. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  48. ^ Williams, Jumaane (August 30, 2018). "Speaking about my #Tourettes, identity politics and what that means for the LG officehttps". Twitter. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  49. ^ KFagan (July 12, 2017). "Jumaane Williams talks about Tourette syndrome". New York City Council. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  50. ^ Paybarah, Azi (August 30, 2011). "Councilman with Tourette's is a Spokesman for Reform". Observer. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  51. ^ Brown, Nicole (February 27, 2019). "13 fast facts about Jumaane Williams, the new public advocate". am New York. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jumaane Williams.
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the New York City Council
from the 45th district
2010–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New York City Public Advocate
2019–present 		Incumbent
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