Wayne Williams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Colorado Springs City Council from the at-large district | |
| In office April 16, 2019 – April 18, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Merv Bennett |
| Succeeded by | Lynette Crow Iverson |
| 38thSecretary of State of Colorado | |
| In office January 13, 2015 – January 8, 2019 | |
| Governor | John Hickenlooper |
| Preceded by | Scott Gessler |
| Succeeded by | Jena Griswold |
| Clerk and Recorder ofEl Paso County, Colorado | |
| In office 2011–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Balink |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Broerman |
| Member of the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners from the 1st district | |
| In office 2003–2011 | |
| Succeeded by | Darryl Glenn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wayne Warren Williams (1963-01-19)January 19, 1963 (age 62) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Holly Williams |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
Wayne Warren Williams[1] (born January 19, 1963)[2] is an American attorney and politician. A member of theRepublican Party, he served as an at-large member on thecity council ofColorado Springs, Colorado from 2019 to 2023. Before serving on City Council, Williams was theSecretary of State of Colorado from 2015 to 2019.[3][4]
Williams grew up in theShenandoah Valley ofVirginia.[5] His father was the facilities manager of theNational Zoo'sSmithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where Williams was raised.[6]
In high school, Williams organized for localRepublican Party candidates. He also served as adelegate at theVirginia Republican Party convention.[5] He attendedBrigham Young University (BYU) on theHarry S. Truman Scholarship, and graduated in 1985 with abachelor's degree inpolitical science.[7] He graduated from theUniversity of Virginia School of Law in 1989.[5]
Williams began practicingemployment law andlabor law in theSalt Lake City office ofHolme Roberts & Owen. He was offered a job with Sherman & Howard inColorado Springs, which he accepted in 1992.[5][6]
Bob Isaac, themayor of Colorado Springs, appointed Williams to the city'sHousing Authority board.[5] Williams served for eight years as anEl Paso CountyCommissioner.He was succeeded by Darryl Glenn on the commission.[8] In 2010, Williams was elected the El Paso CountyClerk & Recorder.[9][10]
In 2014,Scott Gessler, theSecretary of State of Colorado, announced his candidacy forGovernor of Colorado in the2014 Colorado gubernatorial election.[11] Williams ran unopposed for the Republican Party nomination for Secretary of State.[6] He defeated Democratic Party nomineeJoe Neguse in the general election, 47.5% to 44.9%.[10][12]
On December 19, 2016, Michael Baca, a Colorado presidential elector, was replaced by Williams with Celeste Landry after Baca failed to vote forHillary Clinton as he was pledged; Landry voted for Clinton.[13] Two Colorado electors filedsuit against Williams in August 2017.
In 2017, Williams complied withDonald Trump's request by sending publicly available voter data to thePresidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.[14]
Colorado followed nearly every recommendation made by election experts in the wake ofRussian interference in the 2016 election prior to the 2018 elections.[15]
On November 6, 2018, Williams lost re-election toDemocratJena Griswold.[16]
In 2019, Williams announced his candidacy for thecity council ofColorado Springs, Colorado, in the2019 elections.[17] He won an at-large seat on the council.[18]
In 2023, Williams was a candidate formayor of Colorado Springs.[19] In the mayoral election held April 4, 2023, no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, and Williams was one of the top two vote-getters. A runoff election was held between Williams and the other top vote getter,Yemi Mobolade, on May 16.[20][21] Mobolade defeated Williams.[22]
Williams and his wife, Holly, met at BYU. They have four children: Sean, Greg, Lindsey, and Wendy.[5]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yemi Mobolade | 67,442 | 57.47 | |
| Wayne Williams | 49,909 | 42.53 | |
| Total votes | 117,351 | 100.00 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yemi Mobolade | 32,429 | 29.81 | |
| Wayne Williams | 20,908 | 19.22 | |
| Sallie Clark | 19,384 | 17.82 | |
| Darryl Glenn | 9,470 | 8.70 | |
| Longinos Gonzalez Jr. | 8,622 | 7.93 | |
| John Tig Tiegen | 5,405 | 4.97 | |
| Andrew Dalby | 4,825 | 4.44 | |
| Tom Strand | 2,597 | 2.39 | |
| Lawrence Joseph Martinez | 1,823 | 1.68 | |
| Christopher Mitchell | 1,248 | 1.15 | |
| Kallan Reece Rodebaugh | 1,129 | 1.04 | |
| Jim Miller | 948 | 0.87 | |
| Total votes | 108,788 | 100.00 | |
2019 Colorado Springs at-large city council election
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Gordon Klingenschmitt | 24,638 | 11% |
| Bill Murray | 27,677 | 12% |
| Val Snider | 12,997 | 6% |
| Wayne Williams | 42,256 | 19% |
| Tony Gioia | 18,155 | 8% |
| Terry Martinez | 23,512 | 11% |
| Regina English | 16,990 | 8% |
| Tom Strand | 27,842 | 12% |
| Randy Tuck | 5,981 | 3% |
| Athena Roe | 15,143 | 7% |
| Dennis Spiker | 8,410 | 4% |
| Colorado secretary of state election, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democrat | Jena Griswold | 1,179,509 | 51.67 |
| Republican | Wayne Williams | 1,047,309 | 45.80 |
| Constitution | Amanda Campbell | 46,512 | 2.0 |
| Approval Voting | Blake Huber | 17,613 | 0.5 |
| Colorado secretary of state election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Wayne Williams | 932,588 | 47.34 |
| Democrat | Joe Neguse | 886,043 | 44.98 |
| Constitution | Amanda Campbell | 77,790 | 3.95 |
| Libertarian | Dave Schambach | 73,413 | 3.73 |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Colorado 2015–2019 | Succeeded by |