Dear Editor,
I support Sean Williams for County Council. I have known Sean for over 10 years and believe he will be an important addition to the County Council. He has experience in many facets of town that gives him a unique perspective that is needed to represent us well. He worked at the lab as a PhD Computer Scientist, is a local home owner, is a successful local business co-owner of Automotive Professionals, and is a current Planning and Zoning Commissioner.
He understands the needs of our town and citizens and has our best interest at heart. This was certainly apparent during the last P&Z meeting. I was impressed with his assertion that the safety and health of our county citizens should be the top priority when deciding to build residential housing on potentially contaminated land. While ultimately it passed, he was only one of two P&Z Commissioners to vote down the Bluffs amid safety concerns. As reported by the Los Alamos Reporter from that meeting:
“I did come into this wanting to find a reason to vote yes but all of the important answers have been, ‘We don’t know’. To me ‘We don’t know’ isn’t a good enough answer to put the lives of the elderly and the poor at risk. I do fully appreciate the need for housing within this County but I think this plan is reckless and dangerous and I think we do have the latitude to reject it,” Commissioner Williams responded. “I don’t think it is a good idea for this County to support putting the most vulnerable population imaginable – elderly poor people – on land where we have legitimate concern of radiological contamination… We have a housing crisis. We need to solve it. This isn’t the way.”
Sean Williams has great ideas about revitalizing Los Alamos and White Rock downtowns with regards to redevelopment and zoning. He understands the needs of local business owners, the frustrations with reasonable rent rates, the problem with tenants and building codes as well as the intricacies of zoning laws. The issue of procurement has come up in recent months and he believes the county should shop local first.
“I would like to see our county purchasing go to a three-tiered system: to the greatest extent allowed under state law, the county should look first to Los Alamos County for goods and services, second to the surrounding communities (e.g., Española, San Ildefons, Rio Arriba, Taos), and only if we can’t find what we need locally should the county shop outside our area. This will meaningfully support the small business community, while also providing economic opportunities to our neighbors, all without council having to hear yet another anti-donation lecture.”
Sean Williams cares about the ideas, questions, and concerns of Los Alamos residents. Of all the candidates, he has spent the most time over the past year listening to the needs of Los Alamos and White Rock. Before Covid, he hosted several meet and greets at local businesses such as Fleur de Lys and Pig and Fig. Throughout the pandemic he has adapted to keep himself available to the public. He moved to online live Facebook chats, has posted his thoughts and positions online as well as with local news outlets, and has participated in debate forums.
I can confidently speak of his platform because he has been open and transparent all along. I have personally had many conversations with him and feel comfortable exploring a variety of topics and ideas. I appreciate he has specific visions but is also open to other points of view. I have tried to get a read on the positions of some of the other County Council candidates and have often read the words ‘I need to look into that more’ or some variation ‘I’ll address that later’. With Sean, it’s always a comfortable conversation, not a one-sided viewpoint, and I find that to be a very valuable trait in a person who I’m electing to represent me. He is a kind and caring candidate who deserves to be on County Council. Please vote for Sean Williams.
Kristy Mack