Freshman Assemblywoman Jaime Williams (D–Canarsie) took office April 19 after winning a landslide special election, filling the seat her former boss, state Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D—Canarsie), previously held in the 59th Assembly District. Williams has been in office for just three months, and she’s already prepping for next election — the Democratic primary on September 13.
Julianne Cuba: So you’ve been in office three months and you already have to run again in a primary this September?
Jaime Williams: When I got into office, it was through a special election. And basically I was finishing up a term that the former assembly member had, so now I have to rerun again for a two-year term. Like everything else, I have to work, knock on people’s doors, and let people know there is an election and have to come out and vote.
JC: How have these first few months in office been?
JW: The first few months were very good. I was chief of staff to a former assembly member, so it made the journey much easier for me. There wasn’t much hand-holding. It was a very easy transition. My first day in the chamber — that was when it definitely and finally hit, when I was in the chamber with the rest of the assembly members. Three months really doesn’t give any time for me or my office to do any type of work. Three months really it was phenomenal for myself and my staff to be able to be in the community and work in the community and do what we do on a daily basis, but three months is not enough.
JC: You sponsored two bills for legislation so far — one extends the Department of Environmental Conservation’s authority to manage bluefish and the other expands the definition of “tenant” for the purposes of required notice during a mortgage foreclosure action. What do they both do? And did they pass?
JW: The bluefish, that’s an extender. It had expired, so this was an extender. It was signed by the governor just a few days ago.
Another piece of legislation was to protect tenants in foreclosed homes. For instance, someone owns a home in foreclosure and … a new [renter] comes into the home and doesn’t know it’s in foreclosure. And then within six months or a year they need to move, because this house is in foreclosure. When they move it’s a disruption in their lives — the kids have to change schools.
It would protect the tenants, every tenant that moved into a foreclosed home. They would get a letter from the bank saying that the house is in foreclosure. Because of coming into assembly almost at the end of session — so many bills and just couldn’t get everything passed and done — that bill stayed back. But come January — I have to be reelected, [but] if I am elected — that will be a top priority moving forward. It is very, very important.
JC: So since Albany is now out of session, what have you been doing locally in the district?
JW: Moving forward in September, we’re doing two things. A kids’ corner we will be having twice a month, open to the schools in the district. We will be doing a workshop, learning to play a steelpan or the history of it — they would come in and give the kids a little history of making the steelpan and teach them how to do it as well. A meet-and-greet with NYPD officers, kind of like bridging the gap between NYPD and the kids. So they wouldn’t have the fear of officers, let them know we are here to help. Those types of activities. It’s a place where you can learn different cultures and different ethnicities and be involved in the community. The second part would happen once a month, in collaboration with a non-profit group in Canarsie to provide support services for children that are autistic — meeting at my office once a month for parents that have kids that are autistic.
JC: Going back to the election, do you think Jeffrey Ferretti will run again?
JW: Every election both sides run Republicans and Democrats, since Ferretti seems to the be the perennial Republican that always seems to be running I won’t be surprised if he is running again.
JC: Are you confident you will win?
JW: I hope the community can put trust in me again. I am confident I am capable of the work that I do to represent my community. I’ve been a social worker by career all my life. I have advocated on behalf of communities, on behalf of consumers. Advocacy is one of my passions, and this is what is driving me. Fighting for more affordable homes, rent, minimum wage, all these things — that’s why I’m here — and to also work with NYPD to make our community safer. And work with our leaders and our pastors and our priests and our reverends, so their parishioners know that their assemblywoman is there for them. I’m confident in the work I’m doing.
