Anthony A. Williams

Anthony A. Williams (born July 28, 1951) is a United States politician who has served as mayor of Washington, DC since 1999.

Williams first rose to fame because he served on the financial control board that took over DC's finances after Marion Barry's administration nearly bankrupted the city. He led the city into a fiscal recovery, and this made him quite a popular figure, enough to be elected mayor.

In 2002, Williams ran for reelection. Because DC is dominated by the United States Democratic Party, the Democratic primary election is the actual deciding contest. In the 2002 primary, the mayor needed to collect signatures from voters to get his name on the ballot. The firm that he hired to do this had some irregularities, and as a result, Williams had to run as a write-in candidate. His chief opponent, minister Willie Wilson, also ran as a write-in. Despite this handicap, Williams won reelection.

In the DC political spectrum, Williams is generally seen as a moderate; he has good relations with both the business community and DC at large.