[2] In October 2013, Williams lost the Mandurah mayoral election to Marina Vergone by two votes.
[10][11][12] In September 2024, the Labor MP for the electoral district of Mandurah, David Templeman, announced he would not contest the 2025 state election.
[19][20] The Labor Party has used Williams' resignation as mayor to criticise the Liberal Party's Churchlands candidate, Basil Zempilas, for not resigning as lord mayor of Perth.
[17][21] The election on 8 March 2025 resulted in Williams retaining the seat of Mandurah for Labor.
[22] Williams is part of the Labor Party's Left faction and is aligned with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.