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Stephen T. Williams

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Steve Williams
Mayor of Huntington
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2013
Preceded byKim Wolfe
Succeeded byPatrick Farrell (elect)[1]
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
In office
December 1, 1986 – December 1, 1994
Succeeded byEvan Jenkins
Constituency13th district (1986–1992)
16th district (1992–1994)
Personal details
Born
Stephen Taylor Williams[2]

1955 or 1956 (age 68–69)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationMarshall University (BA)
West Virginia University (MPA)
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Stephen Taylor Williams (born 1955/1956)[3] is an American politician who is the current mayor of Huntington, West Virginia. Williams previously served as Huntington's city manager, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, and a member of the Huntington City Council. On September 4, 2023, he became the first Democrat to declare candidacy for governor of West Virginia in the 2024 West Virginia gubernatorial election, and subsequently won the nomination.[4]

Education

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Williams attended Huntington High School, graduating in 1974. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Marshall University in 1978 and a Master of Public Administration degree from West Virginia University in 1980.[5]

Williams played four years of football at Marshall University, during the Young Thundering Herd era, after the Marshall Plane Crash.[6]

Political career

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Williams served as director of economic development for Huntington in 1984 and worked as city manager from 1984 to 1985. From 1987 to 1994, he was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for Cabell County and Wayne County.[5] He previously ran for mayor in 1993, defeating incumbent mayor Bobby Nelson in the Democratic primary, but lost to his Republican opponent, Councilwoman Jean Dean.[7]

Williams returned to politics in 2008 when he won election as an at-large member of the Huntington City Council, where he served until his election as mayor in 2012. On June 19, 2017, Williams announced that he would stand in the 2018 race for West Virginia's 3rd congressional district, which was an open seat after the incumbent congressman, Evan Jenkins, declared to run against Joe Manchin for the Senate.[8] On January 19, 2018, Williams dropped out of the race.[9]

Mayor of Huntington

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Williams's campaign against his predecessor, Kim Wolfe, in the 2012 mayoral election marked the first time a sitting city official challenged an incumbent mayor since Huntington switched to a strong mayor form of government in 1985.[10]

In March 2013, Williams signed an ordinance passed by the Huntington City Council which rescinded a 1% occupation tax which had been the subject of a lawsuit filed in 2011 against the city. The tax had been imposed under a West Virginia initiative which granted several cities, including Huntington, increased home rule, including increased powers to change their tax structures.[11][12]

During the spring and summer of 2013, Williams's administration organized a citywide cleanup effort and planned increased enforcement of local ordinances like those that prohibited tall grass and the storage of furniture and construction materials in yards or on porches.[13] The city planned to hire additional code enforcement officers, reinstate the Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau and seek the ability to issue citations on-the-spot, rather than after a ten-day warning period, from the West Virginia State Legislature. The mayor directed the city government to design and implement a system to ensure all new graffiti in the city is removed within 24 hours.[14]

Williams has supported the continued redevelopment of the Central City Market in Huntington's West End, drawing inspiration from the management of the Capitol Market in Charleston.[15]

In 2017 under Williams' direction, the City of Huntington sued eight pharmaceutical companies, claiming their products harmed Huntington's welfare, leading to a drug crisis in the city and surrounding county.[16] Included in the lawsuits are companies like McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp, among others.[17] A year later in 2018, Williams was elected as a board member to the National League of Cities.[18]

Personal life

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Williams is married to Mary Poindexter Williams and has two step-daughters. He serves as an officer of various organizations affiliated with Marshall University and attends Trinity Episcopal Church.[5]

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Williams has been featured on the television adaptation of the podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me. In the show, Williams is consulted by Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy regularly, including discussions of whether the three can be named honorary mayors or host a tarantula-themed parade in downtown Huntington.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Patrick Farrell elected as Huntington mayor". WSAZ. November 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Steve Williams wants to help West Virginia like he did Huntington. Can he?". May 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Williams elected to unprecedented third term as Huntington mayor". November 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Steve Williams becomes 1st Democrat to enter West Virginia governor's race". POLITICO. Associated Press. September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Meet Mayor Steve Williams," City of Huntington (archived at WebCite on 8 May 2013).
  6. ^ Pyles, Katherine. "Right Person, Right Time". Huntington Quarterly.
  7. ^ Chambers, Bryan (May 9, 2012), "Wolfe, Williams to vie for mayor", The Herald-Dispatch, retrieved May 8, 2013
  8. ^ Mendez, Josephine (June 19, 2017), "Williams announces bid for U.S. House seat", The Herald-Dispatch, retrieved June 19, 2017
  9. ^ "Huntington mayor drops bid for US House seat", Associated Press, January 19, 2018, retrieved June 26, 2020
  10. ^ Chambers, Bryan (November 6, 2012), "Williams elected Huntington mayor", The Herald-Dispatch, retrieved May 8, 2013
  11. ^ "Lawmakers propose widening 'home rule' plan: draft bill revamps allowable tax changes", The Charleston Gazette, January 7, 2013, retrieved May 8, 2013
  12. ^ Chambers, Bryan (March 13, 2013), "City repeals occupation tax", The Herald-Dispatch, retrieved May 8, 2013
  13. ^ Chambers, Bryan (March 27, 2013), "City to kick off cleanup campaign", The Herald-Dispatch, retrieved May 8, 2013
  14. ^ Davis, Clark (April 11, 2013), "Huntington implements comprehensive cleanup campaign", West Virginia Public Broadcasting, retrieved May 8, 2013[permanent dead link‍]
  15. ^ Chambers, Bryan (April 29, 2013), "City eyes Central City Market", The Herald-Dispatch, retrieved May 8, 2013
  16. ^ "The heroin-ravaged city fighting back". Video. BBC. May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  17. ^ HESSLER, COURTNEY (April 15, 2017). "Drug firms press for dismissal of lawsuits". Print and online. The Herald Dispatch. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  18. ^ "National League of Cities Announces 2019 Leadership and Board of Directors". Print and online. National League of Cities. November 10, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  19. ^ LAVENDER, DAVE. "Comedy TV show, "My Brother, My Brother and Me" films Tarantula Parade" for upcoming show". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of West Virginia
2024 		Most recent
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