Bud Williams

Bud Williams
Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 11th Hampden district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2017
Preceded byBenjamin Swan
Member of the Springfield City Council
In office
2011–2017
In office
1993–2008
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Springfield, Massachusetts

Bud Williams is a State Representative who represents the 11th Hampden District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He represents the city of Springfield. Williams serves as the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Redistricting, and on the House Committee on Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, the Joint Committee on Education, and the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.[1][2][3][4]

He is a member of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.[5]

Before being elected to the state house, Williams was a member of the Springfield City Council, serving two tenures. He first served on the City Council from 1993 to 2008, and again served from 2011 to 2017.[6][7] After being elected to the state house, he decided that he would continue to coincidently serve out the remainder of his term on the City Council, but not seek reelection afterwards.[7]

In 2002 he ran unsuccessfully for State Representative, losing the Democratic primary for the 11th Hampden district seat to Benjamin Swan.[6][8] In 2009, he challenged incumbent mayor of Springfield Domenic Sarno, losing the mayoral election by a roughly 2–3 margin.[9] Before being elected to the City Council, he had run unsuccessfully for it in 1989 and 1993.[6]

In early 2023, Williams cosponsored a bill to allow Massachusetts prisoners to earn time off from their sentences by immediately forfeiting some of their vital organs and/or bone marrow to the state.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ Goonan, Peter (January 9, 2017). "State Rep. Bud Williams will also keep Springfield City Council seat, pull salaries from both jobs". Mass Live. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  2. ^ "Bud L. Williams: Committees". The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "Bud L. Williams: District". The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  4. ^ "Springfield's Bud Williams Weighs Dual Role As State Rep. And City Councilor". digital.nepr.net. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  5. ^ "2019-2020 Massachusetts Black & Latino Legislative Caucus". mablacklatinocaucus.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Councilor Bud Williams". Western Mass Politics & Insight. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b Tuthill, Paul (31 July 2017). "Seeing Openings On The City Council, A Large Field Of Candidates Assemble In Springfield". www.wamc.org. WAMC (Northeast Public Radio). Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  8. ^ "PD43+ » 2002 State Representative Democratic Primary 11th Hampden District". PD43+. Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  9. ^ "November 3, 2009 Municipal Election Returns". www.springfield-ma.gov. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  10. ^ Medsger, Matthew. "Early release from prison for organ donations? Maybe in Massachusetts".
  11. ^ "An Act to establish the Massachusetts incarcerated individual bone marrow and organ donation program". The State of Massachusetts.
  12. ^ An Act to establish the Massachusetts incarcerated individual bone marrow and organ donation program (PDF) (House Docket 3822). Massachusetts General Assembly. January 20, 2023.