About me
James Williams first ran for office in 2018 at the age of 29 while working as a lumber grader at Collins Pine Sawmill, and took office in January of 2019. He hopes to continue bringing a fresh perspective to the table in all matters we works on, strengthening ties across his county and other local governments in the State. Williams has often stated that he feels "We can learn from one another in building a new future for our youth, while not forsaking the wisdom and institutional knowledge of those who have gone before us". "Good governance is the understanding that we govern only by the consent of the governed".
As a community and a county, there will always be issues and topics to which we may find disagreement on, and that individually may spark some very heated discussion and strong opinions held with the deepest of personal convictions. Conversations in these situations can be difficult, but they should be had none the less, and we should always be willing to “listen”. Whether we are coming together as a community, county, state or nation, it is critical to find the common ground and principals that bind us. He hopes that we as a people will always be able to discuss and have those important conversations within our communities, among our friends and neighbors, in our homes and at the dinner tables.
Williams spends much of his time at the Capitol in Salem working on legislative issues that can affect his County and others. He is on the AOC (Association of Oregon Counties) Executive Board as Treasurer, as well as on the Legislative Committee. Williams also sits on the EOCCO board (Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization) as the only elected official, which oversees the delivery of healthcare services for OHP (Oregon Health Plan) members for all of eastern Oregon.
He stays closely engaged on land use issues, particularly around energy development, natural resources, water, emergency services, behavioral health, and social economics. Our nation is facing grave challenges in energy and community health unlike we've ever seen, and he's hoping to do his part in helping find solutions.
