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Politics & Government

Meet Glen Williams: House District 93 Candidate

Glen Williams, a husband and father of two children, has spent years making a difference in the community, and now he's hoping to do even more with a bid for a newly drawn district.

Glen Williams, a Snellville resident since 2000, is campaigning to represent the newly formed District 93. This past Friday he received the endorsement of the Gwinnett County Association of Educators.

Williams, 44, is a community leader who is new to politics but "not new to being involved," he said. A Snellville resident for 12 years, he is an information technology consultant by trade, but volunteers for a host of other activities.

He is the former co-executive director of the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation, has served on the school counsel for Rosebud and Elementary schools and also served as community liaison for zoning issues the Centerville area faced over the past few years.

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He is also a 2011 graduate of Leadership Gwinnett and a 2009 graduate of the Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute.

Nicole Love, associate director of the Gwinnett Coalition, met Williams while he was going through the Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute program. According to Love, Williams had a strong desire to get involved in the community and learn more about organizing communities for change.

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Love, recognizing his leadership ability, appointed Williams Alumni Association President.

“He has been extremely invested in the community,” she added. “He really cares and is passionate about his local community and Gwinnett County.

“I'm 100 percent in support of Glen and am excited that, of anyone who would run in that district, it's him, because of his passion, involvement and rapport with citizens.”

Centered on Centerville

Williams got involved in the community when he and his family to Snellville in 2000. Originally from Indiana, he graduated from Indiana University and moved to Norcross in 1992. In 1995, he relocated to Stone Mountain, then settled on the Centerville side of town.

As home values began to drop in the area, so did the perception of the quality of the surrounding schools. Instead of moving away, however, he decided to get involved and take a stand.

For example, he is founding member of the Centerville Business Association and formed a collaboration of homeowners and subdivisions to give a voice to homeowners in the neighborhood, which is located in unincorporated Snellville.

The day the new district lines were drawn, he decided to get involved on a higher level. To Williams, a Democrat, the most important issues facing the community is economic development and education – particularly, post-high school education.

“This was the right race, and the right reason at the right time,” he said. “I've been involved in politics, but not as a politician. I've been doing it because I wanted to make a difference.”

Through a grassroots campaign, he has gone door-to-door and met more than a thousand people. On average, he spends 25-30 hours a week campaigning.

'Credible, Honest Person'

Ron Weber, owner of , met Glen around seven years ago through the Centerville Business Association.

“We were just civic minded individuals who wanted to band together to help Centerville,” Weber said.

According to Weber, Williams had no political aspirations at the time. Together, they took on projects and tried to clean up the Centerville side of town, including improving the appearance of empty lots and abandoned shopping centers. They also helped handle zoning issues as they came up.

One initiative that was important to the both of them was providing a stronger police presence at a time when gangs were more apparent in the area.

Williams also led the way in organizing homeowners associations to band together and improve their community, and he served on several school counsels – though his children, 15 and 12, did not attend those schools, according to Weber.

“Glen is a credible, honest person, who has already proven himself to the community,” Weber added. “I've always told people the best indicator of the future is the past.

"When it comes down to Glen, why vote for him? Because he's already proven himself. He's not making worthless promises.”    

For more information on Glen Williams, visit his website or Facebook page.  

Be sure to check out Snellville Patch's election guide, as well. We are planning to do stories on the other three Snellville candidates for House District 93, as well.

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