Difference between revisions of "Alfred C. Williams"

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Alfred C. Williams (July 8, 1951 – August 4, 2015) was an African-American attorney from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and from 2012 until his death a Democratic state representative for District 61 in East Baton Rouge Parish.^[2] He was first elected in 2011.^[3]

Personal life

A native of New Orleans,^[2] Williams graduated in 1969 from Capital High School, in 1972 from the historically black Southern University, and in 1977 from the Southern University Law Center, all institutions in Baton Rouge.^[1][3] He formerly resided in Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish, and in Gramercy and Vacherie in St. James Parish. He also resided in Atlanta, Georgia, and several Virginia cities, including Lynchburg and Roanoke, dates unavailable.^[4]

Williams died at the age of sixty-four from complications of knee surgery.^[5][6] He was survived by his wife, Brand Burrell Williams, and four children. He was a member of the Living Faith Christian Center in Baton Rouge.^[1] he was preceded in death by his father Henry Ferdinand Williams, mother Etha Mae Greene Richardson, brother, Linell Therod Williams and father in law, Aubrey Burrell.

Political life

Williams worked as a counselor for the office of the state attorney general and as an assistant to the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney. He was the director of the Baton Rouge Substance Abuse Clinic and administrator for the Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse for Region II. He ran unsuccessfully for the District 61 House seat in 1999. From 2003 to 2005, Williams was a member of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.^[2] He vacated the school board position in 2005 to join the administration of Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, another African-American. He also operated a consulting business, The Conrad Group, which specializes in aiding minority businesses in obtaining contracts with public and private agencies.^[1]

In 2011, he won the general election, a low-turnout contest, for the same seat over fellow Democrat, C. Denise Marcelle, 2,052 votes (52.8 percent) to 1,836 (46.2 percent).^[7] He succeeded African-American Democrat Michael L. Jackson, who ran unsuccessfully in 2008 for the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 6th congressional district; the victor was later U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican.

Representative Williams was a member of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus and the Democratic Caucus. He was the chairman of the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and serves as well on the Civil Law and Procedure Committee, and the House Committee on Enrollment.^[3]

Williams' legislative ratings ranged from 40 to 67 percent from the conservative Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. In 2013 and 2014, the conservative Louisiana Family Forum scored him 40 and 17 percent, respectively. In 2013 and 2014, he was rated 50 and 60 percent, respectively, by Louisiana Right to Life.^[8]

In 2014, Williams voted for the requirement that abortion providers have hospital admitting privileges near their clinics; only five House members opposed the measure. That same year, he voted to extend the time for implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. He voted to forbid the transportation of dogs in open truck beds on interstate highways.^[9]

In 2013, Williams voted to reduce penalties for the possession of marijuana and opposed lifetime concealed carry gun permits and voting to make such information on weapon permits part of the public record. He voted to increase judicial pay and to end the mandatory retirement age for judges. In 2012, he voted to prohibit the use of cell phones while driving and opposed state tax incentives to recruit a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana. He opposed reducing the number of hours that polling locations remain open. Louisiana has traditionally had 14-hour polling days. He opposed the requirement for drug testing of welfare recipients.^[9]

Opposition to Marriage and Conscience Act

On May 19, 2015, Williams was among ten legislators on the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee who voted to table the proposed Marriage and Conscience Act, authored by Republican Representative Mike Johnson of Bossier Parish and strongly supported by the Louisiana Family Forum. Only his fellow Republican Ray Garofalo of Chalmette stood with Johnson. Governor Bobby Jindal, who supported the legislation, then issued an executive order to implement the measure. Johnson said that he would in 2016, if reelected, re-introduce the measure because he prefers a statutory law to address the issue. Johnson explained that the measure is designed to block the state government from pulling licenses or tax benefits from a company because of the owner's counter view of same-sex marriage. Other Democrats who opposed the measure were committee chairman Neil Abramson and Joseph Bouie, Jr., both of New Orleans, and Patrick O. Jefferson of Arcadia in Bienville Parish. Republicans who voted to table the measure were Mike Pete Huval of Breaux Bridge, Gregory A. Miller of Norco, Clay Schexnayder of Gonzales (later the House Speaker), and Nancy Landry of Lafayette.^[10]

Democrat C. Denise Marcel won the right to succeed Williams in the primary election held on October 24, 2015.

References