“I’m not Machiavellian. I’m just me who likes people, and so I use that to my advantage in my politics.”

This is how State Sen. Anthony Williams concluded his most recent interview. The Democratic Mayoral candidate sat down with Holly Otterbein of Philadelphia Magazine’s Citified blog for a two-part interview published Sunday and Monday.

Williams is generally considered the front-runner in the race. The State Senator ended 2014 with the most cash on hand, and he leads in name recognition, boasting 16 years in the State Legislature and a 2010 candidacy for Governor.

In the interview, Williams tackled some of the city’s controversial issues, from police-race relations to the tax system to schools.

Most notably, Williams spoke out in favor of using Philadelphia Gas Works as an asset to pay for the city’s underfunded pension system. Mayor Michael Nutter had pushed for the sale of PGW, but the nearly $2 billion deal fell apart in October.

While Williams didn’t specifically call for selling PGW, he said at a minimum his administration would be “leasing the property to a private entity” and using the money to reduce the city’s pension deficit.

“PGW is an opportunity for us to plug that gap significantly, if not permanently,” Williams said, adding that closing this gap “would also free up about a third of the general fund that would allow us to spend more money on public education without raising taxes.”

On the topic of education, Williams stood by his support of charter schools, a stance that attracts criticism from teachers unions. The State Senator praised charter schools while acknowledging the necessity for a charter school reimbursement for the county “so that we’re not pushed further into the financial hole, and keep pitting traditional neighborhood schools against charter schools.”

While Williams backed the approval of new charter schools by the School Reform Commission, he was careful to say that he doesn’t support them “just because they’re charters.”

“I’m supporting charters because they provide good, public education in communities that don’t have that,” he said. “So that should be the measurement of what the SRC considers.”

Above all, Williams flaunted his “people person” demeanor, which he said is a benefit in political negotiations.

“I may have a preference, but if I can’t get through a Republican-controlled legislature, then I have to adjust my way that I approach these ideas,” Williams said. “I embrace the idea of being able to walk in and work and compromise to an end. I embrace moving past an ideology to a practical consideration.”