Politics & Government

Spike Williams Kicks Off Campaign

Candidate for Board of Supervisors chairman focuses on county budget, education.

Born and raised in Fairfax County, Michael “Spike” Williams has a vision for a “sustainable and prosperous” future for the county. 

Williams will kick off his campaign for Board of Supervisors Chairman on Saturday with a nine-stop campaign tour throughout Fairfax County. The tour kicks off at 9:30 a.m. in Mount Vernon and will end in Herndon.

The self-described “long-standing Republican” has served as the Hunter Mill District Chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee for the last two years.

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This is not Williams’ first foray into Fairfax County politics. In 2007, he ran against Cathy Hudgins for Hunter Mill District Supervisor as an Independent. This year, he will run against incumbent and current Chairman Sharon Bulova.

He will focus on major issues including education and transportation, but Williams has zeroed in on the county’s budget, which he calls “one of the biggest issues we have.”

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“Since 2001, our budget…went from 2.135 to 3.4 almost billion in general funds,” said Williams. “That’s an outrageous increase in budget in a 10 year period, and one that does not reflect the previous 60 years as far as pace. We have a spending problem here in Fairfax County and we need to get it under control.”

Williams acknowledges transportation as a major issue and says that one solution is reforming the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA). He is a firm believer in a strong education system, which can help Fairfax County businesses flourish. Williams believes that the county “has an obligation to cherish and promote excellence in education.”

“I think that where we’ve gotten that wrong is we’re spending far too much money on administrative overhead and not giving the money to the classroom and to the teachers,” said Williams.

After his parents separated when he was a toddler, Williams' mother raised him and his brother as a single mother.

“We had to scrape by sometimes in points during my upbringing where we went without and we had to turn to public assistance to get through tough patches,” said Williams. “We managed to use that assistance to get on our feet and get off that assistance. “

Williams and his wife, Julie, co-own Williams Realty in Herndon. They have a 13-year-old daughter and Julie has two sons from a previous marriage. He views himself as a family-oriented businessman.

“I think that qualifies me as a stable Fairfax County guy who sees problems in our county’s governmental structure and sees the need to get involved to set things right,” said Williams.

For a complete schedule of Williams' campaign tour stops, click here. 


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