Williams was elected after defeating incumbent Councilmember Kendall Stewart in the Democratic primary in September 2009 by a margin of 12 points. Williams won the general election as well, with an endorsement from the Working Families Party. He was re-elected easily in 2013. In June 2013, the New York City Council passed Williams' Community Safety Act, which established an Inspector General to oversee the New York Police Department and created an enforceable ban against bias-based profiling. The Act was passed over then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto. Williams has been an outspoken opponent of the NYPD's approach to Stop-and-frisk in New York City. In July 2013, he introduced "house party" legislation where parties with 40 people in attendance or more would have to register with the police. He also wants event organizers who advertise on social media and those charging admission to pay fines. On Jun 29, 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Williams' 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. On August 13, 2015, the New York City Council passed Intro. 700, Williams' legislation which, along with bills sponsored by Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick, established regulations for "tenant relocation specialists", individuals who are employed by landlords to buy out tenants. The legislation was signed into law by the mayor on September 9, 2015. In 2018, Williams challenged incumbent Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary, on a platform of anti-corruption, affordable housing, and criminal justice reform; he and Cynthia Nixon, who challenged incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo, endorsed each other. He lost the primary by less than seven points. He resigned from office to take the position as Public Advocate on March 19, 2019. Williams declined to back his former staffer Farah Louis to succeed him in the New York City Council and instead endorsed Monique Chandler-Waterman. Despite this, Louis defeated Chandler-Waterman in the May special election.
Activism
On September 5, 2011, during the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, Williams along with 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. Williams was a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and in September, 2012, he was assaulted by a member of the NYPD at an Occupy Wall Street event. Williams was also arrested in 2018 for protesting the detention of immigrant-rights activist Ravi Ragbir after the latter was detained during one of his regular check-ins with ICE.
Public Advocate
Williams ran in the 2019 special election for New York City Public Advocate when Tish James vacated her seat to become New York state attorney general. He was endorsed by The New York Times in both his 2018 campaign for lieutenant governor and his 2019 campaign for public advocate. He was endorsed in 2018 by the Democratic Socialists of America but in 2019 DSA decided not to endorse anyone for the Public Advocate special election. The New York Daily News broke the story of his 2009 arrest in a domestic dispute, the records that had been sealed, which were used by rival candidates. Nevertheless, in a crowded field with 18 other candidates, including former council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and state assemblyman Michael Blake, Williams won, taking 33 percent of the vote to the former's 11 percent and the latter's 8 percent. RepublicanEric Ulrich garnered 19 percent in this race. In his post-election remarks Williams said that he would work with Mayor de Blasio. The race cost the city $17 million. He was certified and sworn into office on March 19, 2019.
Personal life
Williams was diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette syndrome while a child. He has been an outspoken advocate for others with the conditions. Williams is a Baptist. He has frequently pointed to his religious beliefs as influencing his personal views on issues such as LGBTQ marriage and abortion, and has received criticism from LGBTQ rights groups for his previous conservative views on LGBTQ rights. He has more recently affirmed his support for LGBTQ marriage and abortion rights. Williams has an 80% rating from the Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Fund.
