Candidate Profile: City of Palmetto: Ward 3: Brian Williams

Name: Brian Williams (incumbent)

Age: 64

Residence: Palmetto

Occupation: A senior repair specialist at Carefusion, a surgical equipment repair company.

Annual income: Income from job depends on commission; the city seat pays $7,753 a year.

Education: Graduated from Manatee Junior Community College with degree in business, joined the United States Air Force upon graduation. After serving in the military, Williams attended University of South Florida, studying business and education.

Brian Williams, a City of Palmetto commission incumbent running for re-election, says his experience is needed on the commission more than ever.

The city is experiencing financially difficult times, and his 16 years in office provides a continuity of leadership, he said.

“I want to maintain a stable pattern of growth and keep the taxes, and the base of the community, that being the services provided by the government, at the level that citizens want,” he said. “That’s why, in my opinion, I need to be in there to basically work with the system we’ve been working with over the last few years.”

Prior to his first swearing in to office in 1993, Williams served on the city’s code enforcement board for three years. The Vietnam veteran said he has seen the city grow and progress to its current state.

In such economic turbulent times, he said getting new blood on the commission may be risky.

“First of all, someone new coming in would have a learning curve of possibly two to three years,” he said. “They have to learn about this community, learn about where we’ve been, and learn how to proceed financially.”

Born in Virginia, Williams grew up in Manatee County with his grandparents because his parents were in the military and had to move around a lot. He met his wife in Mississippi, and has been married for 39 years. They have two children and a grandchild.

Williams' campaign finance report is available here.