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Jaime Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jaime Williams
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 59th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 10, 2016
Preceded byRoxanne Persaud
Personal details
Born (1979-08-24) August 24, 1979 (age 46)
Trinidad and Tobago
PartyDemocratic
EducationYork College (BA)
Fordham University (MA)
Signature
WebsiteState Assembly website

Jaime R. Williams (born August 24, 1979) is the Assembly member for the 59th district of the New York State Assembly. She is a Democrat. The district includes portions of Canarsie, Georgetown, Mill Basin, Marine Park, and Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn.

Early life and career

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Williams was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago before immigrating to New York City in 1999, where she has been a resident of Brooklyn ever since.[1] Williams graduated from Fordham University with a master's degree in social work before going to work in the community, including for domestic violence prevention.[2]

Following Hurricane Sandy, Williams worked for Catholic Social Services of Brooklyn and Queens to help with relief efforts. She joined the staff of Assemblywoman Roxanne Persaud following her election in 2014 as her Chief of Staff.[3]

New York State Assembly

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In 2015, Williams was selected by the Kings County Democratic Party to run in the special election for Roxanne Persaud’s Assembly seat after she was elected to the New York Senate in a November 2015 special election caused by John L. Sampson’s corruption-related resignation.[4] In April 2016, Williams won the special election against Republican Jeffrey Feretti with 82.47% of the vote.[5]

Tenure

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Williams was seated in the Assembly on May 10, 2016. She introduced two bills following her swearing in; one which would require landlords to inform tenants if their rental home was in foreclosure and one to amend environmental laws to protect bluefish.[6]

In August 2023, Williams organized a protest against the planned construction of a migrant shelter on Floyd Bennett Field.[7] The following month, Williams was invited by Republicans to testify before a House Natural Resources Committee oversight hearing titled "Destroying America’s Best Idea: Examining the Biden Administration’s Use of National Park Service Lands for Migrant Camps." She spoke about her opposition to the planned shelter and joined a lawsuit alongside Republican New York City Councilmember Joann Ariola to block it.[8] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a video of an exchange between them, captioning it "Republicans have no solutions for immigration" despite Williams being a Democrat.[9]

In 2024, Williams was the only Democrat to vote against overriding the New York Independent Redistricting Commission's congressional redistricting lines.[10] Williams opposed the City of Yes upzoning program and supported Republican Curtis Sliwa in the 2025 NYC mayoral election.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Brooklyn Democrats Look to Top Aide to Fill Assembly Seat". Observer. 2015-11-12. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  2. ^ "The Latest: Williams wins Brooklyn Assembly seat". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  3. ^ "Special election for 59th Assembly seat is today". Brooklyn Daily. 2016-04-19. Archived from the original on 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  4. ^ "Seddio, TJ Club Tab Jaime Williams To Run For Canarsie Assembly Seat". Kings County Politics. 2015-11-05. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  5. ^ "Williams Crushes Ferretti To Win Assembly Seat". Sheepshead Bites. 2016-04-20. Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  6. ^ Katinas, Paula (May 27, 2016). "In Public Service: Williams settles into new job as lawmaker". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Donaldson, Sahalie (August 25, 2023). "Brooklyn Democrats appear alongside Curtis Sliwa at rally against migrant shelter". City and State. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  8. ^ McCarthy, Craig (September 19, 2023). "NYC pols sue to stop Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field from becoming migrant shelter — days after city inked deal with feds". New York Post. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  9. ^ Sterne, Peter (September 27, 2023). "AOC, Jamaal Bowman seemingly mistake Democratic state legislator for Republican". City and State. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  10. ^ Schwach, Ryan (February 28, 2024). "Legislature shoots down congressional maps in favor of their own". Queens Daily Eagle. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  11. ^ Donaldson, Sahalie (2025-12-22). "New York political predictions for 2026". City & State NY. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
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