Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Jumaane D. Williams

Jumaane D. Williams

  • Securing Two More Years as Public Advocate, Williams to Keep Pushing De Blasio on Housing, Policing

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    Jumaane Williams (photo: @nycpa)


    Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a Democrat, easily won his reelection bid on Tuesday, beating Republican Joseph Borelli, a City Council member from Staten Island, and Libertarian Party nominee Devin Balkind. With about 723,000 votes counted and 90% of election precincts reporting at midnight, Williams had received 78% of the vote (563,000 votes) to Borelli's 20% (144,400) and Balkind's 2% (14,500).

    Williams previously represented Brooklyn in the New York City Council and was first elected to the public advocate’s office

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  • Williams Remains Public Advocate; Katz Next Queens DA; Ranked-Choice Voting on Its Way; & More: Election Results 2019

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    (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    After about 60,000 New York City voters took advantage of the first early voting period in city history, albeit during an especially quiet electoral year, more than 650,000 others went to the polls on Election Day 2019, providing mostly expected results and approving multiple controversial ballot proposals to change city elections and governance. This year provided a helpful initial test run for early voting and all that goes with it, such as electronic poll books and a lot of poll-worker training, before what is expected

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  • WATCH: 15 Minutes with Public Advocate Candidate Joe Borelli

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    Public Advocate candidate Joe Borelli talks with Ben Max on MNN


    The race for New York City Public Advocate is one of the few elections on the ballot this fall, and it's only happening because former Public Advocate Letitia James was elected New York Attorney General, leading to a special election in February to replace her for the duration of this year, followed by an election this fall to see who will hold the citywide position for 2020 and 2021. Then-City Council Member Jumaane Williams, a Brooklyn Democrat like James, won the February election by a wide margin in a crowded field.

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  • WATCH: 15 Minutes with Public Advocate Candidate Devin Balkind

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    Public Advocate candidate Devin Balkind talks with Ben Max on MNN (photo: @MNN59)


    The race for New York City Public Advocate is one of the few elections on the ballot this fall, and it's only happening because former Public Advocate Letitia James was elected New York Attorney General, leading to a special election in February to replace her for the duration of this year, followed by an election this fall to see who will hold the citywide position for 2020 and 2021. Then-City Council Member Jumaane Williams, a Brooklyn Democrat like James, won the February election by a wide margin in a

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  • Where Top City Officials Who Appointed the 2019 Charter Revision Commission Stand on Its Proposals

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    (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photo Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio and other top city officials have remained mostly quiet about their positions on a set of proposed changes to city government and elections, which are set to go before voters when early voting begins on Saturday. The five “yes” or “no” ballot questions include 19 distinct proposals from the 2019 Charter Revision Commission, whose members were appointed by the mayor, comptroller, public advocate, City Council speaker, and five borough

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: The Candidates for Public Advocate

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    l-r: Jumaane Williams, Joe Borelli, and Devin Balkind (photo: William Alatriste & John McCarten/City Council)


    October 21, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: The Candidates for Public Advocate

    Jumaane Williams, Joseph Borelli, Devin Balkind

    There's an election for New York City Public Advocate this fall, and just ahead of the October 26 start of early voting and Election Day,

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  • In Public Advocate Race, Three Very Different Visions for the Office

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    l-r: Devin Balkind, Jumaane Williams & Joseph Borelli


    One of the few seats on the ballot this fall involves a citywide race, with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams defending his seat against two challengers in order to serve the remainder of the term, which runs through 2021, after he won a February special election. While the three candidates running have very different backgrounds and visions for the job of public advocate, Williams’ opponents, Republican City Council Member Joe Borelli and Libertarian Party nominee Devin Balkind, both concede that their chances of victory are slim and seem

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  • Questioning Jails Plan, Advocates Seek ‘New Deal’ to Address Homelessness

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    Friday's press conference (photo: Vocal New York)


    A coalition of housing rights advocates and elected officials is seeking a “new deal” for homeless people living in New York City, as one activist put it at a rally on Friday.

    Members of the coalition gathered in front of City Hall to point out what they believe to be shortcomings of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s housing agenda and the dangers of celebrating too early the plan to shutter the Rikers Island jails. The jails are a cornerstone of the city’s criminal justice system that the advocates say

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  • Williams Challengers Fail to Qualify for Official Public Advocate Debate, But Candidates May Spar Anyway

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    l-r: Devin Balkind, Jumaane Williams and Joe Borelli (photo: William Alatriste & John McCarten/City Council)


    Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, one of three citywide elected officials, is up for reelection this fall, but it looks like the Brooklyn Democrat won’t have to defend his (albeit short) tenure so far in a public forum with his two challengers. Neither Staten Island City Council Member Joe Borelli nor nonprofit leader Devin Balkind, the Republican and Libertarian nominees, respectively, seeking to unseat Williams, has qualified for the first of two official,

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  • Push Launched to Get Voters to Choose Ranked-Choice Voting

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    (photo: @commoncauseny)


    A coalition of elected officials, business and labor leaders, and reform groups gathered Thursday in Lower Manhattan to launch a campaign to convince New York City voters to change the way they elect their representatives in city government.

    Voters in New York City this fall will have the opportunity to approve ballot referenda on a number of reforms to the City Charter, including a new election system known as “ranked-choice voting.” The new system would allow voters in primary and special elections -- but not general elections -- to

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  • City Government’s Most Outspoken Republican on De Blasio, Trump, and the Future of the GOP in New York

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    Joe Borelli, center (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    Joe Borelli, the Republican City Council Member from Staten Island’s South Shore, has made a name for himself as one of the most vociferous pro-Donald Trump supporters in the president’s home city. But, Borelli is a realist and knows that Trump is unpopular in very-Democratic New York, and that the Republican Party has a lot of work to do to regain a foothold in city or state government after several disappointing elections.

    During ...

  • Max & Murphy Podcast: The Future of the Republican Party in New York

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    City Council Member Joe Borelli (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    August 14, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: The Future of the New York Republican Party

    joe borelli wbai 150 pxCity Council Member Joe Borelli, a Staten Island Republican and strong supporter of President Donald Trump, joined the show to discuss his candidacy for Public Advocate and the present and future of the New York Republican

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  • On Presidential Campaign Trail, De Blasio Promises Paid Vacation Law ‘This Year,’ But City Council Has No Timeline

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    (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    As he campaigns for president, Mayor Bill de Blasio has repeatedly said that “this year” the city will pass a mandate that most businesses provide employees with two weeks of paid personal time each year, but the City Council, which would have to pass such legislation, has not committed to the timeline the mayor is touting.

    De Blasio first announced his support for paid personal leave and said it would get done “this year” in his January ...

  • As De Blasio Promises Paid Personal Time, Small Business Owners Push Back

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    (photo: Edwin J. Torres. Mayoral Photo Office)


    The City Council took steps Tuesday aimed at addressing what some have described as a crisis of small business closures across the city.

    Passing a package of bills that now head to Mayor Bill de Blasio for approval or veto, the Council is seeking to mandate more city outreach to small business and studies of business closures. The legislation does not, however, directly address concerns expressed by members of the business community about over-regulation.

    Under de Blasio and two

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  • Quick Rematch in Second Special Election for Brooklyn City Council Seat

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    Council Member Farah Louis is sworn in (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    City Council Member Farah Louis was officially sworn in at City Hall on Thursday, a few weeks after winning a crowded special election to succeed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to represent the Council’s 45 District in Brooklyn. But thanks to New York’s laws for special elections, she is already running for reelection in another special election, with the all-important Democratic primary set for June 25, in which Louis is facing several opponents she outpaced in the May 14

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  • Criticizing De Blasio Rezonings, Williams Introduces 'Racial Impact Study' Requirement

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    Fulfilling a promise he made in his successful campaign for public advocate, Jumaane Williams introduced legislation on Wednesday that would require the city to conduct an assessment of expected racial and ethnic impact brought on by proposed neighborhood rezonings, in order to ensure that the city is complying with the federal Fair Housing Act, and combat segregation and displacement.

    The Fair housing Act, passed in 1968, is meant to protect against discrimination in the sale, purchase,

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  • City Council Progressive Caucus Endorses in Brooklyn Special Election

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    Monique Chandler-Waterman & Jumaane Williams (photo: @MoniqueForNYC)


    The political arm of the New York City Council’s Progressive Caucus is endorsing Monique Chandler-Waterman in next week’s special election for the Council’s District 45 seat. The district was previously represented by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, whose own special election victory led to the vacancy being filled through a vote this coming Tuesday, May 14.

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  • Where Top City and State Officials Stand on Raising the Charter School Cap

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    Gov. Cuomo at a charter school rally (photo: governor's office)


    After several new charter schools were approved last month, the cap on such schools allowed in New York City was reached. New York State has a cap on the number of issuable charters, which allow a group to start a new charter school, the controversial, privately-run, publicly-funded schools that mostly proliferate in the five boroughs and educate roughly 10% of the city's 1 million students. Within the larger cap, there is a sub-cap for charters that can be issued for schools in New York

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  • Crowded Field Forms for Special City Council Election to Replace Jumaane Williams

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    Jumaane Williams (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    Jumaane Williams’ victory in the February special election for Public Advocate has created a ripple effect, namely a special election for his former City Council seat, representing Brooklyn’s Council District 45, set for May 14.

    The district encompasses parts of the Central Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Flatlands, Midwood, and Canarsie. According to 2010 Census data, the district is majority black, at 76.1%, with Afro-Caribbeans like Williams making up the bulk of the population.

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  • WATCH: New Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on His Vision for New York City

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    Jumaane Williams (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    After winning the February 26 special election for New York City Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams catapulted from Brooklyn City Council Member to one of just three citywide elected officials. With the election results certified, Williams sat down at the Manhattan Neightborhood Network studio with Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max for an in-depth, wide-ranging interview about his plans, priorities, and positions. Watch:

  • Report: Under New Law, Small Donors Drove Public Advocate Special Election Campaigns

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    The first public advocate debate (photo: Holly Pickett for The New York Times (pool))


    Small-dollar donors were behind 63 percent of the first wave of campaign contributions to candidates who ran in the February special election for public advocate, up from 26.3 percent in 2013 when there was an open race for the seat, according to an analysis by New York City Council Member Ben Kallos. The Manhattan Council member sponsored the law to implement in the public advocate special election the new campaign finance rules overwhelmingly approved by voters in a

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  • With Williams in Office, Will Public Advocate Get Budget Boost?

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    Jumaane Williams (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    Jumaane Williams, the City Council member elected public advocate in a special election last month, has vowed a renewed push for increased funding and an independent budget to bolster the meager resources of the office he now occupies.

    Over the course of the six-week long special election that Williams won, virtually all of the 17 candidates who were on the ballot argued that the public advocate’s office needs more funding. One of just three elected

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  • The Aftermath of the Public Advocate Race

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    Melissa Mark-Viverito & Jumaane Williams (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)


    The public advocate special election has come and gone. The implications of the results will be felt for years to come. Yet there is a debate over whether the position of public advocate should even exist. But it is here and the last two to hold the position—Bill de Blasio and Letitia James—have moved on to higher office.

    The Candidates
    Jumaane Williams, the winner of the race with 33% of the vote in a very crowded field and now the third

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Public Advocate-Elect Jumaane Williams

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    February 27, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Jumaane Williams Wins & Key Takeaways from the Public Advocate Special Election

    pa jwilliamsCity Council Member Jumaane Williams won the crowded Public Advocate special election in convincing fashion, receiving 33% of the vote with 17 names on the ballot. Williams joined the show to

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  • Public Advocate-Elect Jumaane Williams' Promises and Positions

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    Jumaane Williams (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    Brooklyn City Council Member Jumaane Williams, who unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor last year, won in convincing fashion the Tuesday special election for public advocate of New York City.

    Over the course of his campaign, Williams, a former tenant organizer, made several promises and pitched policies that he said would transform the office of public advocate, which has limited statutory authority or budget but provides a platform for outspoken advocacy.

    “This job is not to

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