01/31/2020
Brigadier General Blake Williams, USA Ret. enters 2020 race for commissioner
Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General
Blake Williams announces this week his plan to run for one of three open seats on Alamance County’s board of commissioners in the Republican primary election, which is currently scheduled for March 2020.
Williams currently serves on Alamance Community College’s board of trustees and as chairman of the trustees’ building and grounds committee.
Alamance County commissioners initially appointed Williams to the trustee board in 2015 and reappointed him to a second, four-year term earlier this year.
“I want to continue to give back to the community where I think I can use my strengths and leadership skills, to help people succeed in their personal lives, and to see the community as a whole prosper,” Williams said of his decision to enter the commissioners’ race.
Williams, 67, sees several challenges in Alamance County’s future. “There’s a national security issue in not having enough individuals between the ages of 17 and 24 to meet the qualifications for military service, relative to academics, physical fitness,” or clean criminal records, he explains. “Part of why I’m running is education at the youngest level; we need to capture these kids [between birth and age three; statistics have shown that’s where key development begins. We have many families across North Carolina where both parents work; they’re low-income and have no place to put these kids, so they’re not being developed.”
If elected, Williams says that expanding childhood education in Alamance County would be a top priority. He believes that having strong families and role models, as well as high-quality pre-K and K-12 education, play important roles in helping children to develop positive, lifelong habits.
In 2015, he joined Mission: Readiness, a nonpartisan national security organization of more than 650 retired admirals and generals that is part of the Council for a Strong America, to advocate for “smart investments” in America’s children. Williams stresses that “investing now” saves money that would be spent later on resolving discipline issues in school and/or adjudicating criminal cases in the court system.
Williams is a proponent of lifelong education and training for workers who’ve been laid off due to closings, as well as for older and under-served workers “to enable them to stay and grow in the county.”
As a commissioner, he would encourage new high-tech businesses and corporations to set up operations in Alamance County, Williams says. He also would “maximize and encourage agricultural sustainment and growth in the county.”
Williams also emphasizes the need for “building strong communities,” in which parents are actively involved in shaping their children’s lives. “The whole culture has obviously changed,” he notes.
As chairman of ACC’s building and grounds committee, Williams helped screen and select the architects to design the first two projects (a Biotechnology center of excellence and parking expansion) that will be financed with a $39.6 million bond package that voters approved for ACC in 2018. He has also supported ACC’s efforts to enhance workforce development opportunities and to reach more veterans seeking additional education.
U.S. military leaders historically have been expected to set aside their personal beliefs and serve their superiors – a creed that Williams remains loyal to today. “Everything we do and pass, I support,” he explains, adding that he would continue serving on ACC’s board if elected commissioner.
Williams and his wife of 47 years, Judith, have four grown children and 16 grandchildren, plus “one on the way.” He held five leadership positions in the USAR 98th Division before joining the Initial Entry Training battalion for the 108th Division in Charlotte in 1987, where he served as a company chief, brigade operations officer, and as an assistant division commander. Then-president George W. Bush nominated Williams for brigadier general and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2005.
A New York native and 32-year resident of Mebane, Williams simultaneously worked 21 years with IBM, holding multiple senior management positions at the Research Triangle Park facility. He retired from IBM in 2005 and the military in 2010.
Williams holds master’s degrees in industrial engineering from N.C. State University and in project management from George Washington University; bachelor’s degrees in math and physics from Elmira College in New York; and an associate’s degree in mechanical technology from Corning Community College in New York.
In addition to serving on ACC’s board, Williams is also active with the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and with Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Mebane.
Meanwhile, four other candidates — one Democrat and three other Republicans —have announced their plans to enter the commissioners’ race. Former Alamance County commissioner Bob Byrd, a Democrat, previously announced his candidacy. On the Republican side, also running is: retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Jim Johnson; former county commissioner John Paisley, an attorney in Graham; and Alamance-Burlington school board member Pam Thompson.
Filing begins at 12:00 noon next Monday and ends at noon on Friday, December 20.
Reprinted with permission
The Alamance News
November 28, 2019
