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By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher
CLEVELAND, Ohio – State Sen. Sandra Williams (D-21), a Cleveland Democrat, on Monday announced her bid for Cleveland mayor, joining a crowded field of candidates like former councilman Zack Reed and Council President Kevin Kelley who want to succeed four-term Black mayor Frank Jackson, who has not raised monies for the race and is likely not seeking an historic fifth term, sources say.
Williams is the first woman and first Black woman to join this year's non-partisan contest for mayor of the largely Black major American city of some 385,000 residents.
A former chair of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus whose 21st state legislative district encompasses most of Cleveland and its eastern suburbs, she has been a state legislator in Ohio since 2007, first as a state representative, and now as a state senator .
“I have been tested. I have delivered. And I have a vision for our future,” Williams said in a press release. “I see a city of opportunity where economic, racial, and gender inequality is extinguished, where a good education is within reach of every student; and where fear and crime have plummeted. And I can’t wait to get started on bringing real change needed to make that vision a reality.”
Williams has focused on initiatives such as promoting quality education in the African American community, voting rights, decreasing inequalities in health care, increasing opportunities for minority business enterprises, and improving racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
A former corrections, probation and parole officer, Williams spearheaded the passage of Ohio's Lupus Education and Awareness Program.
She also proudly sponsored “Aliana’s Alert,” which requires schools to contact a student’s parent or guardian if the student does not show up for school within two hours of the start of the school day
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