Nantasha M. Williams (born March 29, 1988)[1] is an American politician from New York City. A Democrat, Williams represents the 27th district in the New York City Council, which covers parts of southeastern Queens.
Nantasha Williams | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the New York City Council from the 27th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Daneek Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 29, 1988 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Virginia Commonwealth University (BA) State University of New York, Albany (MPA) City University of New York |
| Website | Official website Campaign website |
Early life and education
editWilliams was born in Queens, and was raised by a single mother who worked as a social worker. She received a BA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MPA from SUNY Albany, and is currently enrolled in a PhD program at the CUNY Graduate Center.[2]
Career
editPrior to seeking elected office herself, Williams held a number of staff roles in the office of Assemblywoman Diana Richardson, eventually rising to become Richardson's chief of staff. Williams was also appointed as the executive director of New York State's Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, which represents state assemblymembers and senators of color.[3]
2016 State Assembly campaign
editIn 2016, after the death of Assemblywoman Barbara Clark, Williams announced she would run for the 33rd district of the New York State Assembly in southeastern Queens.[4] She faced Clyde Vanel, who had run for the seat twice before, and three other candidates in the Democratic primary. Vanel ultimately defeated Williams by a narrow margin, 32-28%, and went on to win the seat in the general election.[5]
2021 City Council election
editFour years after her Assembly campaign, with incumbent City Councilman Daneek Miller term-limited, Williams launched her campaign for the 27th district of the New York City Council, a heavily overlapping constituency.[6] Williams received endorsements from Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman and nearly all of the city's major unions, but many other power players remained neutral among the crowded race's twelve contenders.[7]
On primary election night on June 22, Williams emerged with a strong lead, earning 36 percent of the vote while her nearest competitor was far behind with 11 percent; she officially won two weeks later, after ranked-choice votes and absentee ballots were counted.[8][9] She ran uncontested in the November general election, and was elected. She assumed office on January 1, 2022.
First Term (2022-2023)
editShortly after being elected, Council Member Williams was appointed to Chair of the NYC Council's Committee on Civil and Human Rights, and sit on the following committees: Economic Development, General Welfare, Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions, Oversight and Investigations, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Youth Services. Council Member Williams would transition out of the Economic Development Committee, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Committee, and Youth Services Committee to the powerful Finance Committee overseeing the NYC budget.
During her first year in the City Council, Council Member Williams helped pass historic legislation requiring many ads for jobs in the nation’s most populous city to include salary ranges, in the name of giving job applicants — particularly women and people of color — a better shot at fair pay.[10] During this same year, following a horrendous fire that claimed the lives of 17 people in the Bronx, the City Council passed her legislation requiring inspections for self-closing doors in residential buildings which was a major factor in this loss of life.[11]
Council Member Williams also championed a resolution calling for the NYS Legislature to pass the Clean Slate Act - New Yorkers would be eligible to have their records automatically sealed 3 years from sentencing misdemeanors and 7 years for felonies. To be eligible for this relief, individuals must have completed probation, parole, or post-release supervision. They cannot have incurred any new convictions during the three- or seven-year waiting period.[12] The Clean Slate Act would ultimately pass and be signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul the following year.[13]
During her second year in office, Council Member Williams passed two resolutions in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop including a resolution recognizing August as the Hip-Hop Recognition Month and December as Hip-Hop History Month, and a second resolution recognizing Def Jam Recordings for their contributions to the genre.[14] Council Member Williams was also able to secure major investments in the New York City budget for her district including $3.8 million to redesign a local park neighboring PS.176Q,[15] $2.8 million for crucial resilience upgrades in the Cambria Heights Library,[16] and $2.755 million for the reconstruction and revitalization of the playground that was heavily damaged during Hurricane Ida.[17]
Council Member also launched the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, in partnership with New York City Department of City Planning, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Speaker Adrienne Adams, to create a grassroots vision for the future of the Downtown Jamaica and Hollis area that includes more affordable housing and investments to improve the quality of life.[18] The Jamaica Neighborhood Plan aims to create a vision driven by the local community for Jamaica’s future where the community has more people able to live, work and play in the area. The Plan focuses on the downtown Jamaica area, around a 300-block radius and includes transportation corridors, manufacturing districts, institutions and community parks and transportation.[19]
Personal life
editNantasha Williams is a homeowner, who lives in Cambria Heights, Queens, New York.
References
edit- ^ @nantasha2021 (March 29, 2021). "Two important things about today 1. It's my birthday & 2. Our campaign was endorsed by @UFT ... the campaign marathon continues #Nantasha2021‼️". Twitter. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Meet Nantasha". Nantasha Williams for NYC Council District 27. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Christina Coleman (September 13, 2016). "Politics 101: Here's Why Black Women Representation In State Legislature Elections Matter". Essence. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Michael Gannon (August 25, 2016). "And then there were five in the 33rd AD". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Patrick Donachie (September 15, 2016). "Vanel wins race to fill Assembly seat long held by Barbara Clark". QNS.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Telvin Poledore (December 6, 2020). "Nantasha Williams to Run for Queens City Council Seat". Brooklyn College News Service. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Bill Parry (February 10, 2021). "District Council 37 endorses Nantasha Williams in southeast Queens City Council race". QNS.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Allie Griffin (July 4, 2021). "Early Front Runners in Queens Council Races Cement Leads Following RCV Count". LIC Post. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Naeisha Rose (July 8, 2021). "Women take Queens Village to Far Rockaway". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Jennifer Peltz (April 28, 2022). "In NYC, ads for jobs will have to say what they pay". AP News. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Robbie Sequeira (June 6, 2022). "Additional self-closing door legislation passes City Council in response to Twins Parks fire". BronxTimes. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Isabel Song Beer (May 19, 2022). "Clean Slate Coalition joins New York City pols to pass the Clean Slate Act". amNY. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Robert Abruzzese (November 17, 2023). "CSecond chances in New York: Clean Slate Act to wipe millions of criminal records". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Nantasha Williams (August 22, 2023). "Opinion: Recognizing Queens' Hip-Hop Legacy, 50 Years Later". CityLimits. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Bill Parry (October 17, 2023). "Council Member Williams announces $7.7M renovation for Cambria Heights playground". QNS. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Bill Parry (September 20, 2023). "Cambria Heights Library gets $2.8 million for crucial resilience upgrades". QNS. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Bill Parry (September 1, 2023). "Flood-damaged Jamaica Hills playground set for nearly $3M makeover". QNS. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Bill Parry (May 26, 2023). "Mayor kicks-off 'Jamaica Neighborhood Plan' for new jobs, housing, streetscape improvements". QNS. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Meg Beauregard (September 25, 2023). "City Planning to Hold Public Engagement Meeting for Jamaica Neighborhood Plan". City Land at New York Law School. Retrieved November 20, 2023.