Williams Crushes Ferretti To Win Assembly Seat

The eyes of the world may have been focusing on New York’s presidential primary, but voters in the 59th Assembly District had important work to do electing a representative to fill their vacant seat.

Democratic candidate Jaime Williams crushed her Republican opponent Jeffrey Ferretti in Tuesday’s special election — winning more than 82 percent of the votes. In total, she took in a total of 14,522 votes compared to Ferretti’s 3.086, according to the Board of Elections.

“I’m excited more so now than ever, especially for the constituents of this district, which hasn’t had representation for several months,” Williams told Kings County Politics.

The 59th Assembly District, which includes Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Canarsie, and a sliver of Sheepshead Bay, lost its representative, Roxanne Persaud, when she moved to the senate last year to fill the seat vacated by disgraced politician John Sampson.

Williams, who was Persaud’s Chief of Staff in the Assembly, entered the race with the support of Brooklyn’s influential Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club and Kings County Democratic Party Boss Frank Seddio. However, the new assemblywoman will soon have to defend her newly-won seat. The state primary is in September and the general election is in November.