Williams started her political career in 1998 as a member of the Harrisburg school board.[3][2] She served on the Harrisburg City Council since 2006, with her last two terms serving as the council president.[2] During her time in the City Council, she worked to set term limits for Harrisburg mayors.[4] In 2016 she received criticism as she was accused of politicizing the Harrisburg Environmental Advisory Council.[5]
Although she had originally planned to run again for city council,[6] Williams announced her candidacy for mayor of Harrisburg in March 2021, running on a platform of infrastructure improvements, affordable housing, and revitalization.[2] She won the Democratic primary for the 2021 Harrisburg mayoral election in an upset[7] with 28.95% of the vote, leading incumbent mayor Eric Papenfuse's 27.93% by only 56 votes, to become the Democratic nominee.[8][9][10] She was seen as the heavy favorite to win in the general election, as the winner of the Harrisburg Democratic primary has gone on to win the mayorship since 1977.[11][3][7][12] She faced a single Republican candidate who is facing criminal charges of child abuse.[13] However, on September 15, Eric Papenfuse announced that he would run a write-in campaign in the November General Election.[14] Despite this, Williams won the general election by more than a 2–1 margin.[15][16] Williams became the city's second Black and second female mayor.[7][12][17] On July 31, 2022 Williams transferred mayoral powers to Police Commissioner Thomas Carter due to a medical procedure; Carter served as acting mayor until August 16, 2022.[18]
Williams is the subject of a federal lawsuit filed against her by a former city employee who alleged that his sudden July 2022 termination was retaliation against refusing to promote unqualified individuals with personal ties to Williams. The lawsuit claims retaliation for his ethical concerns.[19][20]
Personal life
Williams lost a granddaughter to gun violence in 2013 as a bystander at a shooting.[3]
