The latest candidate to announce a run for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council is Timothy L. Williams, who will be the first African-American City Council candidate since the incorporation of West Hollywood in 1984.
Williams mailed a statement of his intention to run to City Hall last week. He will be running for one of three seats currently held by council members John D’Amico, Lindsey Horvath and Lauren Meister. The election is March 5, 2019.
In an announcement of his candidacy on his webside, www.TimothyLWilliams.com, Williams said he was running in part to add diversity to “City Council leadership.” On his Facebook campaign page Williams also mentions housing as an issue. According to data from the U.S. Census Department’s American Community Survey, only 4.3% of West Hollywood’s population identifies as African-American or black.
“West Hollywood is in the midst of a housing crisis. With 36,000 residents fitting into 1.9 square miles. When I see a problem I act. Initially by lobbying in favor of affordable housing and infrastructure restoration, but now it’s time to take part in governance.”
“I first because Interested in politics in the fall of 1994, as a first-grader attending Crooked Creek in Indianapolis, IN,” Williams said in a profile of himself. “We were asked to write about someone we admire or want to be like. I chose Thurgood Marshall; the first black U.S. Supreme Court Justice. I admire Justice Marshall’s eloquent judicial opinions almost as much as his pioneering spirit. He was but one man willing to make history and bring diversity to the highest court in the land.
“This will not be easy. I am broke, Brown and bold. But I have a plan and I have You. We will never see our world changed if we do not get involved.”
Williams has launched a GoFundMe page to raise $240,083 for his campaign and says he intends to build a “coalition” of 5,000 supporters.
James Duke Mason, an unsuccessful candidate in the 2015 race for City Council, announced on Friday that he will be a candidate in the 2019 election. Mason has remained involved in civic life, currently serving as co-chair of the city’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board and until recently served on the board of the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation.
One obstacle Williams may face is that he is relatively unknown. While none of them have yet filed the required papers with the City Clerk, it is widely expected that incumbents D’Amico, Horvath and Meister will run for re-election. Another likely candidate is Cynthia Blatt, who lost in the 2015 race. Blatt has been active in debates about development and founded United Neighbors for Responsible Development (UNRED), a group that successfully pushed for a reduction in the size of a development on Kings Road. Tom deMille, who also has run in the past, has said he will run again. Also rumored to be a possible candidate is former City Councilmember Abbe Land.
On social media Williams, who is gay, identifies himself as assistant director for the Brotherhood Crusade’s BLOOM Program and as head of a production company called Haus of Liontruth for which he produces a podcast called Supraliminal Ire. The Brotherhood Crusade is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve quality of life and meet the unmet needs of low-income, under-represented and disenfranchised individuals with a focus on South Los Angeles.
WEHOville has reached out to Williams for more information but hadn’t gotten a response as of publication of this story.
I will support him. This City needs some color. We are the whitest City I have ever seen. We need diversity in our representation. To Timothy: Go for the young vote. The problem for years is that the same old people vote in every election. You will win if you can get the attention of the 18-34 year olds and get them to vote. Don’t waste time and money on the “old school”. They already know for whom they will vote and you will never change their minds. I will help your campaign erikjonerik@gmail.com I like your ideas.
Congratulations Mr. Williams. It’s a fantastic experience and you will learn a lot. You already made history!
Jim, you can ask this by going to the Timothy’s website and emailing him. A novel idea. Or do you have better things to do?
“Staff” should have asked this candidate what his position is on the mixed use Overlay bonus and how it relates to SB1818 at inclusionary housing developments in R2 and R3 zones where the Ellis act applies.