New York City's current public advocate is Jumaane Williams. According to the city charter, he would assume the position of acting mayor, if Eric Adams were to step aside or be suspended from office by the governor.
Adams was named in a five-count federal indictment on Thursday. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and resisted mounting calls for his resignation.
“I feel the same disbelief and indignation that I know many New Yorkers feel, upset that this is where our city is in this moment. This is a painful time, and the looming unknowns and uncertainties only add to the confusion and chaos at City Hall in an untenable situation," Williams said in reaction to the indictment.
Williams, a former city councilman, has served as the city's public advocate since winning a special election in 2019.
“As the Public Advocate, my role is to fight for the transparency, accountability, and governance that New Yorkers deserve. In a moment of intense turmoil, I am committed to working with my fellow elected officials and the many thousands of incredibly dedicated public servants to ensure our city continues to operate in any eventuality," Williams said Thursday.
He ran for New York governor in 2022, losing to Kathy Hochul.
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So what else do we know about Williams?
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A community organizer from Brooklyn
Previously, he served on the NYC Council representing the 45th District. Williams is a first-generation Brooklynite of Grenadian heritage. He graduated from the public school system, battling the challenges of Tourette's and ADHD diagnoses to earn a Master's Degree from Brooklyn College.
A Democrat who has been supported by the Working Families Party, he began his career as a community organizer at the Greater Flatbush Beacon School and later served as the Executive Director of NYS Tenants & Neighbors. There, he fought for affordable, income-targeted housing across New York City and state.
In the NYC Council, where he represented the 45th District, Williams championed police reform legislation. He sponsored the Community Safety Act, reforming the City's Police Department by ending the abuse of Stop, Question & Frisk in communities of color and creating the NYPD's Office of Inspector General to investigate unlawful and unethical behavior. As former Co-Chair of the Council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, he helped create New York’s Crisis Management System, which funds Cure Violence Groups that work to reduce shootings.
Williams has said he leads the fight for better policing and safer streets, affordable housing, and transparency and accountability in city government.
He has also engaged in activism, supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement among other demonstrations.
