Nantasha Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nantasha Williams
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| Member of the New York City Council from the 27th district |
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| Assumed office January 1, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Daneek Miller |
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| 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 (PhD) |
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Nantasha M. Williams is an American politician from New York City. She was born on March 29, 1988. As a member of the Democratic Party, Williams represents the 27th district. This district is located in the New York City Council. It covers parts of southeastern Queens.
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Early Life and Education
Nantasha Williams grew up in Queens, a part of New York City. Her mom was a social worker and raised her. Nantasha went to college and earned several degrees. She studied at Virginia Commonwealth University, SUNY Albany, and the CUNY Graduate Center.
Political Career
Before becoming an elected official, Nantasha Williams worked for Assemblywoman Diana Richardson. She started in various staff roles. Eventually, she became Richardson's chief of staff. Williams was also chosen to lead the New York State's Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. This group represents state lawmakers of color.
Running for State Assembly
In 2016, Nantasha Williams decided to run for office. She wanted to represent the 33rd district in the New York State Assembly. This district is also in southeastern Queens. She ran against Clyde Vanel and three other candidates. Vanel had run for the seat two times before. He won the primary election by a small amount.
Running for City Council
Four years after her first campaign, Williams ran for the New York City Council. The current Councilman, Daneek Miller, could not run again. Williams aimed for the 27th district, which is similar to the Assembly district. She received support from Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman. Many major unions in the city also endorsed her. There were twelve candidates in this busy race.
On June 22, 2021, Williams had a strong lead on election night. She received 36 percent of the votes. Her closest opponent was far behind with 11 percent. She officially won two weeks later. This was after all the ranked-choice votes and mail-in ballots were counted. She ran without opposition in the general election in November. Nantasha Williams took office on January 1, 2022.
First Term in Office (2022-2023)
Soon after being elected, Council Member Williams received important roles. She was appointed to lead the NYC Council's Committee on Civil and Human Rights. She also joined several other committees. These included Economic Development, General Welfare, and Mental Health. Other committees were Disabilities and Addictions, Oversight and Investigations, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Youth Services. Later, she moved to the powerful Finance Committee. This committee oversees the entire NYC budget.
During her first year, Council Member Williams helped pass a big law. It requires many job ads in New York City to include salary ranges. This helps job applicants, especially women and people of color. It gives them a better chance at fair pay. Also, after a terrible fire in the Bronx, she helped pass a law. It requires inspections for self-closing doors in apartment buildings. These doors were a major factor in the fire's tragedy.
Council Member Williams also supported a resolution. It asked the NYS Legislature to pass the Clean Slate Act. This law would allow people's records to be automatically sealed. Misdemeanors would be sealed after 3 years. Felonies would be sealed after 7 years. To qualify, individuals must have finished probation or parole. They also cannot have new convictions during the waiting period. The Clean Slate Act was later passed and signed into law.
In her second year, Council Member Williams passed two resolutions. These honored the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop. One resolution recognized August as Hip-Hop Recognition Month. It also named December as Hip-Hop History Month. The second resolution honored Def Jam Recordings for their contributions to hip-hop.
Council Member Williams also secured major money for her district. This included $3.8 million to redesign a local park. Another $2.8 million went to improve the Cambria Heights Library. And $2.755 million was for rebuilding a playground. This playground was badly damaged during Hurricane Ida.
She also started the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan. This was with the New York City Department of City Planning and other leaders. The plan aims to create a vision for Downtown Jamaica and Hollis. It includes more affordable housing. It also focuses on improving the quality of life for residents. The plan helps the community have more places to live, work, and play. It covers a large area around downtown Jamaica.
Personal Life
Nantasha Williams owns her home. She lives in Cambria Heights, which is in Queens, New York.
