Wayne W. Williams
Wayne Williams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Colorado Springs City Council from the at-large district | |
| Assumed office April 16, 2019[1] | |
| Preceded by | Merv Bennett[2] |
| Secretary 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 of El Paso County, Colorado | |
| In office 2011–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Balink[3] |
| 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[4] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wayne Warren Williams[5] January 19, 1963[6] Palo Alto, California[6] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Holly |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
Wayne Warren Williams (born January 19, 1963) is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the Secretary of State of Colorado from 2015 to 2019. Williams was elected to the Colorado Springs City Council At-Large in 2019.[7]
Early life
Williams grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.[8] His father was the facilities manager of the National Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where Williams was raised.[9]
In high school, Williams organized for local Republican Party candidates. He also served as a delegate at the Virginia Republican Party convention.[8] He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) on the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, and graduated in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in political science.[10] He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989.[8]
Career
Williams began practicing employment law and labor law in the Salt Lake City office of Holme Roberts & Owen. He was offered a job with Sherman & Howard in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which he accepted in 1992.[8][9]
Bob Isaac, the mayor of Colorado Springs, appointed Williams to the city's Housing Authority board.[8] Williams served for eight years as an El Paso County Commissioner. In 2010, Williams was elected the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder.[11]
In 2014, Scott Gessler, the Secretary of State of Colorado, announced his candidacy for Governor of Colorado in the 2014 Colorado gubernatorial election.[12] Williams ran unopposed for the Republican Party nomination for Secretary of State.[9] He defeated Democratic Party nominee Joe Neguse in the general election, 47.5% to 44.9%.[11][13]
On December 19, 2016 Michael Baca, a Colorado presidential elector, was replaced by Williams with Celeste Landry after Baca failed to vote for Hillary Clinton as he was pledged; Landry voted for Clinton.[14] Two Colorado electors filed suit against Williams in August 2017.
Colorado Secretary of State
In 2017, Williams complied with Donald Trump's request by sending publicly available voter data to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.[15]
Colorado followed nearly every recommendation made by election experts in the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election prior to the 2018 elections.[16]
On November 6, 2018, Williams lost re-election to Democrat Jena Griswold.[17]
Personal life
Williams and his wife, Holly, met at BYU. They have four children: Sean, Greg, Lindsey, and Wendy.[8]
Electoral history
Results
| 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 |
References
- ^ "Our Campaigns - Colorado Springs City Council - At-large Race - Apr 02, 2019".
- ^ "Mayor, At-Large City Council Members Take Oath of Office at Colorado Springs Swearing-In Ceremony".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - el Paso County, CO Clerk and Recorder Race - Nov 02, 2010".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - el Paso County - Commissioner - District 1 Race - Nov 07, 2006".
- ^ "Wayne Warren Williams - a Colorado Springs, Colorado (CO) Employment Law Firm".
- ^ a b Hubbell, Martindale (2001). Martindale Hubbell Law Directory 2001. Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561604395.
- ^ "Secretary of State Wayne Williams running for Colorado Springs City Council". The Gazette. Conrad Swanson. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Jamie Swinnerton (July 7, 2014). "Wayne Williams on his run for Secretary of State and the Honey Badger's seat". Westword. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c Peter Marcus (April 13, 2014). "Williams hopes to succeed fellow Republican Gessler for Secretary of State". The Colorado Statesman. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ "Williams, Wayne W." byu.edu. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ a b "Wayne Williams appears to win Secretary of State race". denverpost.com. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ Rittiman, Brandon (September 17, 2013). "Amid flood disaster, Scott Gessler announces bid for Colorado governor". 9News Colorado. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ^ "GOP sweeps statewide seats for second election in a row". coloradostatesman.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ LAKANA (December 20, 2016). "One Colorado elector fails to vote for Clinton, is replaced".
- ^ "Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams turns over state voter data to White House commission".
- ^ Hawkins, Derek (May 10, 2018). "Analysis | The Cybersecurity 202: How Colorado became the safest state to cast a vote". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Secretary of State: Jena Griswold Defeats Wayne Williams".