Wayne W. Williams (Colorado)
Wayne W. Williams was an at-large member of the Colorado Springs City Council. He assumed office on April 16, 2019. He left office on April 18, 2023.
Williams ran for election for Mayor of Colorado Springs. He lost in the general runoff election on May 16, 2023.
Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Williams is a former Republican Colorado Secretary of State. Williams was defeated in the general election on November 6, 2018. Williams was first elected secretary of state in 2014.
Williams was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Colorado. Williams was one of 30 delegates from Colorado initially bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz at the convention. Colorado's delegates were later released since Cruz withdrew from the race.[1][2] Cruz suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 546 bound delegates. For more on what happened to his delegates, see this page.
Biography
Williams served as El Paso County Clerk from 2011 to 2014. He previously served as a county commissioner in El Paso County from 2003 to 2011. Williams operated his own law practice from 1998 to 2014.[3]
Williams attended Brigham Young University on a Truman Fellowship and earned his bachelor's degree in political science.[4] He graduated from University of Virginia School of Law in 1989.
Education
- Bachelor's degree, political science - Brigham Young University
- J.D. - University of Virginia School of Law (1989)
Political career
Colorado Springs County Council (2019-present)
Williams was elected to the at-large position on the Colorado Springs City Council on April 2, 2019. He took office on April 16, 2019.
Colorado Secretary of State (2015-2019)
Williams was first elected to the office on November 4, 2014. He was sworn into office on January 13, 2015.[5] He served until January 2019.
June 2017 request for voter rolls
On June 29, 2017, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which had been created by President Donald Trump on May 11, requested information on registered voters from all 50 states dating back to 2006. The states were given until July 14 to respond. On July 1, Secretary Williams announced that the state would provide only publicly available information to the commission.
| “ | My office is going to protect the confidentiality of things that are confidential under state law[6] | ” |
| —Secretary Wayne Williams[7] | ||
Elections
2023
See also: Mayoral election in Colorado Springs, Colorado (2023)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Mayor of Colorado Springs
Yemi Mobolade defeated Wayne W. Williams in the general runoff election for Mayor of Colorado Springs on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Yemi Mobolade (Nonpartisan) | 57.5 | 71,491 |
 | Wayne W. Williams (Nonpartisan)  | 42.5 | 52,812 | |
| Total votes: 124,303 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Mayor of Colorado Springs
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Colorado Springs on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Yemi Mobolade (Nonpartisan) | 29.8 | 32,429 |
| ✔ | | Wayne W. Williams (Nonpartisan) | 19.2 | 20,908 |
 | Sallie Clark (Nonpartisan) | 17.8 | 19,384 | |
 | Darryl Glenn (Nonpartisan) | 8.7 | 9,470 | |
 | Longinos Gonzalez Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 7.9 | 8,622 | |
 | Johnathan Tiegen (Nonpartisan) | 5.0 | 5,405 | |
| Andrew Dalby (Nonpartisan) | 4.4 | 4,825 | |
 | Tom Strand (Nonpartisan) | 2.4 | 2,597 | |
 | Lawrence Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 1.7 | 1,823 | |
 | Christopher Mitchell (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 1,248 | |
| Kallan Rodebaugh (Nonpartisan) | 1.0 | 1,129 | |
| Jim Miller (Nonpartisan) | 0.9 | 948 | |
| Total votes: 108,788 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Williams's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Williams in this election.
2019
See also: City elections in Colorado Springs, Colorado (2019)
General election
General election for Colorado Springs City Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Colorado Springs City Council At-large on April 2, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wayne W. Williams (Nonpartisan) | 18.6 | 47,622 |
| ✔ |  | Bill Murray (Nonpartisan) | 12.4 | 31,610 |
| ✔ | | Tom Strand (Nonpartisan) | 12.2 | 31,107 |
 | Gordon Klingenschmitt (Nonpartisan) | 11.1 | 28,383 | |
 | Terry Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 10.7 | 27,440 | |
| Tony Gioia (Nonpartisan) | 8.1 | 20,609 | |
 | Regina English (Nonpartisan) | 7.8 | 19,840 | |
 | Athena Roe (Nonpartisan) | 6.9 | 17,746 | |
 | Val Snider (Nonpartisan) | 5.8 | 14,787 | |
| Dennis Spiker (Nonpartisan) | 3.9 | 9,880 | |
| Randy Tuck (Nonpartisan) | 2.7 | 6,920 | |
| Total votes: 255,944 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Pitchford (Nonpartisan)
2018
See also: Colorado Secretary of State election, 2018
General election
General election for Colorado Secretary of State
Jena Griswold defeated incumbent Wayne W. Williams, Amanda Campbell, and Blake Huber in the general election for Colorado Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jena Griswold (D) | 52.7 | 1,313,716 |
| Wayne W. Williams (R) | 44.7 | 1,113,927 | |
| Amanda Campbell (American Constitution Party) | 2.1 | 51,734 | |
 | Blake Huber (Approval Voting Party) | 0.5 | 13,258 | |
| Total votes: 2,492,635 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Bennett Rutledge (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Colorado Secretary of State
Jena Griswold advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado Secretary of State on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jena Griswold | 100.0 | 510,903 |
| Total votes: 510,903 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Colorado Secretary of State
Incumbent Wayne W. Williams advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado Secretary of State on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wayne W. Williams | 100.0 | 414,926 |
| Total votes: 414,926 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
| Secretary of State of Colorado, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Wayne Williams |
47.3% | 932,588 | |
| Democratic | Joe Neguse | 45% | 886,043 | |
| American Constitution | Amanda Campbell | 3.9% | 77,790 | |
| Libertarian | David Schambach | 3.7% | 73,413 | |
| Total Votes | 1,969,834 | |||
| Election results via Colorado Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign themes
2023
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released Feb 15, 2023 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Wayne W. Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
As a 30-year resident of Colorado Springs, I’ve seen our great city go through many changes. My wife, Holly, and I raised our four amazing children here, and I’ve worked to serve our community. My mission as mayor will be to ensure that through community collaboration, Colorado Springs continues the progress we’ve made over the last eight years and that we remain the very best city to live, work and raise our families.
As the only candidate with elected executive experience, I have a proven track record of accomplishment and leadership at both the local and state level – tackling problems effectively and efficiently with customer service that was “invariably helpful and cheerful.”
I serve on Colorado Springs City Council and Chair Colorado Springs Utilities. Previously, I served as Colorado Secretary of State, County Clerk and Recorder and County Commissioner. I was named “Leader of Democracy” by League of Women Voters and “Regional Leader of the Year” by Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC because of the work I’ve done.
I have a demonstrated ability to work across the aisle, empower and retain employees, and possess the even temperament and integrity necessary to be a highly effective mayor for our great city.
- Providing public safety is the most essential role of government and my top priority as the next mayor.
- We must ensure that Colorado Springs has the infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of our growing city.
- I am committed to preserving a low tax burden for our citizens while delivering economic growth to our city.
In any city, a healthy, thriving downtown serves as the cultural, entertainment and economic center of that city and we deserve a downtown we can be proud of. It is important for the future of our city that we continue to revitalize our downtown by encouraging economic development, recruit new businesses, and foster the natural beauty and charm of Colorado Springs.
As Chair of the Colorado Springs Housing Authority, I oversaw the restoration of Lowell School, which triggered the revitalization of southeast downtown area.
As a member of City Council, I’ve played an active role in the revitalization of our urban core, including the approval of Weidner Field and the Robson Arena. I’ve also supported the Collectives’ efforts to refurbish the City Auditorium.
I am a strong supporter of community collaboration and I’ve worked hard to ensure we deliver on the promises made. I’ve attended, participated in and organized numerous opportunities for citizen input.
We worked with community groups to renew the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (with 79.4% of the vote) and to pass measures funding public safety, parks, road maintenance and fire mitigation. We also worked closely with neighborhood groups in adopting our new zoning code and rules for ADUs and short-term rentals.
As a member of City Council, I helped create the Law Enforcement Transparency Advisory Commission (LETAC) to bring diverse views together on police use of force and related issues. We successfully implemented LETAC’s recommendation for funding Alternate Response Teams.
As mayor, I will continue to lead a city government that works with our residents, stakeholders, agencies, organizations and businesses to accomplish a shared vision and goals.
I am dedicated to providing Colorado Springs Police and Firefighters with the personnel, training, tools and resources necessary to keep our neighborhoods, businesses and schools safe. As a councilmember, we obtained voter approval to fund fire mitigation and adopted our city’s first fire evacuation ordinance. I will continue my work with state and local agencies to enhance wildfire preparedness and mitigation.
Since joining the city council, we’ve added positions for 62 new police officers, 66 firefighters and funded 3 new fire stations, moved to a continuous police academy and established a public safety fee to make sure new development pays their fair share. As mayor, I will ensure our public safety needs are prioritized.
Like most major cities, Colorado Springs has struggled to fill our available police positions, but we are making progress. We have moved to a continuous year-round police academy and are reducing the waiting time before a new class starts. As mayor, I will make sure that we’re competitive in the recruitment process, but we will always ensure our high standards are met. I will always ensure that our police, firefighters and other first responders know how much we appreciate them and respect their service.
Colorado Springs is the state’s only major metropolitan area that meets the federal air quality standards.
As Chairman of the Colorado Springs Utilities Board, I’ve been actively working on making necessary upgrades to our power grid to ensure that it is reliable, clean and safe from attack. I successfully led the closure of the 97-year-old coal-fueled Drake Power Plant and replaced it with more economical and cleaner power generation.
Smart growth in Colorado Springs means that growth pays its own way, and we ensure that new development is accompanied by the necessary infrastructure to sustain it. That infrastructure includes roads, parks, water, and police/fire stations. I have successfully championed road and water infrastructure projects, including the widening of I-25 and the Pikes Peak RTA (with the support of the PPAR) and the establishment of new water development and public safety fees on developers.
I’ve also fought to acquire new water sources, signing an agreement with Bent County for 15,000 acre feet (enough for 100,000 people) and establishing a new annexation policy guaranteeing a 128% buffer so that we always have enough water for our existing residents. We’ve also emphasized water conservation, and today we use the same amount of water we did 20 years ago, despite significant growth. Together, these actions show we are growing responsibly and sustainably.
As mayor, I will continue to fight to ensure we have adequate transportation systems, utilities, fire and police stations, and that we provide the other services needed for a growing city.
I’ve seen firsthand the importance of local leaders who work together. As a member of the City Council and the Utilities Board, I have worked to promote our city’s public safety, economic vitality, and our infrastructure needs, particularly in transportation and utilities. I am committed to enhancing services for our growing city, including utilities, parks, police and fire protection.
Mayor John Suthers
El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal
Former Mayor Lionel Rivera
Former Sheriff Bill Elder
Treasurer Chuck Broerman
Colorado Springs Gazette
Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Local 5
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Wayne W. Williams did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Campaign website
Williams' campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Independent Principled Leadership Safe and Fair Elections Business Development and Charitable Giving Innovation and Cybersecurity
|
” |
| —Wayne Williams for Colorado[8] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Williams was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Colorado. Williams was bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz.[9]
Delegate rules
At-large and congressional district delegates from Colorado to the 2016 Republican National Convention were elected at district conventions and at the state convention. 2016 Colorado GOP bylaws did not require delegates to pledge their support to a specific candidate. If a delegate chose to pledge his or her support, however, Colorado GOP bylaws stipulated that the delegate was bound to the candidate to whom he or she pledged their support on their intent-to-run form through the first round of voting at the national convention unless released by the candidate or if the candidate's name was not placed on the nominating ballot.
Colorado caucus
- See also: Presidential election in Colorado, 2016
In August 2015, the Colorado GOP cancelled its presidential preference poll, which was scheduled to coincide with the Republican caucuses on March 1, 2016. According to The Denver Post, the Republican executive committee "voted to cancel the traditional presidential preference poll after the national party changed its rules to require a state's delegates to support the candidate that wins the caucus vote." Colorado Republicans still sent delegates to the Republican National Convention in July 2016. District-level and at-large delegates (34) were bound according to the preferred candidates indicated on their intent-to-run forms. RNC delegates (3) were unbound, meaning that they did not have to pledge their support to a given candidate.[10] Though Republican precinct caucuses were held on March 1 in Colorado, Colorado Republican National Convention delegates were chosen at district conventions and the Colorado state GOP convention in April.[11] Colorado Republican Party rules required participants in the district conventions and statewide convention to have participated in the precinct caucuses.[12]
Delegate allocation
Colorado had 37 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 21 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's seven congressional districts). Thirteen delegates served at large. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as delegates to the Republican National Convention.[13][14]
In 2015, the Republican Party of Colorado decided not to conduct a presidential preference poll in 2016. As a result, according to the Republican National Committee, all delegates were bound according to the preferred candidates indicated on their intent-to-run forms. RNC delegates were unbound, meaning that they did not have to pledge their support to a given candidate.[13][15]
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Journal, "Colorado delegates back Cruz over Trump," July 20, 2016
- ↑ Colorado GOP, "CO GOP 2016 State Convention Results," accessed April 25, 2016
- ↑ Wayne Williams for Secretary of State, "About Wayne," accessed January 13, 2015
- ↑ Brigham Young University National Scholarships, Fellowships and Programs, "Williams, Wayne W.," accessed January 29, 2015
- ↑ Coloradoan, "5 Things To Know: Colorado inauguration is Tuesday," January 12, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ CBS Denver, "Colorado Joins Other States, Refuses To Turn Over Private Voter Information," July 1, 2017
- ↑ Wayne Williams for Colorado, "Home," accessed October 2, 2018
- ↑ Colorado GOP, "CO GOP 2016 State Convention Results," accessed April 25, 2016
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Colorado Republicans cancel presidential vote at 2016 caucus," August 25, 2015
- ↑ Colorado GOP, "Caucus/Assembly/Convention 2016," January 19, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwsj - ↑ 13.0 13.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Colorado Republicans cancel presidential vote at 2016 caucus," August 25, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Merv Bennett |
Colorado Springs City Council At-large 2019-2023 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Colorado Secretary of State 2015-2019 |
Succeeded by Jena Griswold (D) |
| |||||||||
