Williams, Anthony, 1951-

<p>Anthony Allen Williams (born July 28, 1951) is an American politician who was the fifth mayor of the District of Columbia, for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. His predecessor had served twice, as the second and fourth mayor. Williams had previously served as chief financial officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of appointment. He held a variety of executive posts in cities and states around the country prior to his service in the D.C. government. Since 2012, he has served as chief executive officer/executive director of the Federal City Council. His tenure as mayor has been appraised very highly by the policy community and historians, with MSNBC branding him "one of the best and most successful mayors in US history."</p>

<p>Williams, born Anthony Stephen Eggleton on July 28, 1951, was adopted at age three by Virginia and Lewis Williams (a postal worker), and is one of eight children raised in the home: Lewis IV, Virginia II, Carla, Cynthia, Leif Eric I, Kimberly, and Loris. Williams attended Loyola High School in Los Angeles, CA, and then Santa Clara University. There he became active in the anti-Vietnam War movement as well as President of his sophomore class. But his academics suffered and he eventually left school. Shortly thereafter he joined the Air Force. He volunteered for Vietnam, but was kept in the country to work as an aide in the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing command post. He sought an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy but was instead sent to the academy's preparatory school because of his poor grades at Santa Clara. He excelled and earned an appointment to the Academy. Instead Williams sought to leave the Air Force as a conscientious objector, and was given an honorable discharge in 1974. After that, he worked giving piano and clay sculpture and other tactile art lessons to blind children and counseling Vietnam War veterans in Los Angeles. In 1975, he enrolled at Yale using his veteran's benefits to help pay the bill. He left school to start a map business that failed and returned in 1979. In 1982, he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale College, where he was a member of the literary society St. Anthony Hall. In 1987, he earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.</p>

<p>Williams served as the Deputy State Comptroller of Connecticut. Williams also served as Executive Director of the Community Development Agency in St. Louis, Missouri; Assistant Director of the Boston (MA) Redevelopment Authority; and adjunct professor at Columbia University.</p>

<p>Tony Williams, the former Mayor of Washington, D.C. (1999 – 2007), is the current Chief Executive Officer of the Federal City Council, an organization which serves as a catalyst for progress in the Nation’s Capital by focusing the creative and administrative talents of Washington’s business and professional leaders on major problems and opportunities that are facing the City. Prior to this he served as the Executive Director of the Global Government Practice at the Corporate Executive Board in Arlington, Virginia. He also serves as the William H. Bloomberg Lecturer in Public Management at the Harvard Kennedy School. In addition, he is a Senior Consultant to the firm McKenna Long and Aldridge, with particular emphasis on its municipal restructuring practice.</p>

<p>During his two terms as Mayor, he is widely credited with leading the comeback of Washington D.C., restoring the finances of our nation’s capital, and improving the performance of government agencies, all while lowering taxes and investing in infrastructure and human services. Before his election as Mayor, he was the independent Chief Financial Officer of the District from 1995 to 1998, working with and on behalf of local officials, the D.C. Financial Control Board, and the U.S. Congress.</p>

<p>Before his service in local Washington, Tony worked in a variety of positions in federal, state, and local government, including as the first CFO for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In addition to his work on company boards, Tony devotes his attention to issues of education and the environment, serving on the board of Fight for Children and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He holds a BA from Yale and an MPP from the Kennedy School and a J.D. from the Harvard Law School, as well as a number of awards and honorary degrees, including Governing Magazine Public Official of the Year in 1997. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and former President of the National League of Cities.</p>

<p><b>RACES</b>
<ul>
<li>11/05/2002 DC Mayor Won 60.61% (+26.14%)</li>
<li>09/10/2002 DC Mayor - D Primary Won 66.12% (+44.49%)</li>
<li>09/10/2002 DC Mayor - R Primary Lost 47.76% (+19.81%)</li>
<li>11/03/1998 DC Mayor Won 66.16% (+35.92%)</li>
<li>09/15/1998 DC Mayor - D Primary Won 49.92% (+15.14%)</li>
</ul>
</p>

<p><b>SPECULATIVE, DID NOT RUN</b>
<ul>
<li>03/10/2021 US Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Lost 0.00% (-66.00%)</li>
</ul>
</p>

<p>Tony Williams is a member of BPC’s board of directors. He is a former mayor of Washington, D.C. (1999 – 2007) and the current CEO of the Federal City Council, an organization that focuses the creative and administrative talents of Washington’s business and professional leaders on major problems and opportunities facing the District.</p>

<p>He is widely credited with leading the comeback of the District of Columbia during his two terms as mayor, restoring the finances of the nation’s capital, and improving the performance of government agencies, all while lowering taxes and investing in infrastructure and human services.</p>

<p>In addition to his duties with the Federal City Council, Mayor Williams is a senior consultant to McKenna Long and Aldridge LLP. He serves on several company boards as well as the boards of Fight for Children and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.</p>