Mayoral candidate Williams pledges to 'bring a change of direction to Houston'

On Feb. 13, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Robin Williams announced her candidacy for Houston mayor.

According to KHOU 11 News, Williams, who hails from Chicago, enters a field that includes State Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) and former interim Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins.

"As a Marine, I am charged to demonstrate leadership, courage and will not back down as your mayor in the face of adversity," Williams said, according to KHOU 11.

An issue Williams wants to focus on if elected is the city's homicide rate. She has lost three family members to gun violence.

"Over the last three years, I lost my oldest brother, cousin and uncle to gun violence," Williams said, according to KHOU 11. "The fight to combat crime is as personal to me as it is to anyone."

Williams said that if she is elected, she will focus on crime, flooding, homelessness, improving relations with the police force and communities and addressing the rising mental health crisis.

"As a young child, I watched my mother struggle with schizoaffective major depression and the effects of not receiving the proper assistance," Williams said. "My objective is to bring a change of direction to Houston, Texas. Families deserve better."

If she wins in November, Williams will become Houston's first black woman mayor and its third female mayor.

Current Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is in his final term and will not be running for mayor.