Manual Williams
Williams, who also goes by Jomo, is a U.S. Army veteran, paralegal, and Harlem business owner running as a Republican. He previously ran for New York City Council District 7 in 2025, finishing second to incumbent Shaun Abreu.[4][1]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Positions on the issues
- SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportations
Opposes New York City's sanctuary city status and supports pausing immigration to protect local wages and housing, alongside a proposal modeled on the bipartisan Dignity Act.[5]
“NO to NYC Sanctuary Jurisdiction • Stop sanctuary gentrification and rent-spiking corporate buyouts”
- SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing
Opposes cutting police funding and calls for fully funding public safety while overhauling the criminal justice system.[5]
“No to Defund Police • Fully fund public safety • Execute complete Criminal Justice System (CJS) Overhaul”
- SupportsContinue U.S. military aid to Israel
States support for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians and opposition to violence against civilians, without directly addressing continued U.S. military aid.[5]
“YES to Two-State Solution & Protection of Civilians”
In their words — priorities
- Campaigns against New York City's sanctuary city policy, saying it should end.[5]
- Supports the SAVE Act and photo voter ID requirements, and has litigated against the New York City Board of Elections over what he calls election-system loopholes.[5]
- Opposes reducing police funding and calls for fully funding public safety alongside changes to the criminal justice system.[5]
- Describes an economic approach he calls "Universal Capitalism," focused on expanding working families' access to capital and wealth-building.[5]
Background
- Born in Manhattan; says he has served in the U.S. Army since 1985 as an E5 non-commissioned officer in communications and digital graphics, according to his campaign (Ballotpedia states he began Army service in 2020).[4][5]
- Attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice and describes training in paralegal studies and federal court filings, telecommunications (through the Army and Verizon), and computer networking.[5]
- Has worked as a Verizon communications technician, a cable industry contractor, and a paralegal for Harlem law firms, and describes himself as a small-business owner with retail shops in New Jersey and Harlem.[5]
- Ran for New York City Council District 7 in 2025 as a Republican, receiving 8.9% of the vote against incumbent Shaun Abreu.[1]