Matt Williams | |
---|---|
Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 36th district | |
In office January 7, 2015 –January 4, 2023 | |
Preceded by | John Wightman |
Succeeded by | Rick Holdcroft |
Personal details | |
Born | February 5,1949 |
Political party | Republican |
Residence | Gothenburg,Nebraska |
Occupation | Banker |
Matthew H. ("Matt") Williams (born February 5,1949) is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in the south central part of the state. Williams is a member of the Republican Party.
Williams was born on February 5,1949,in Gothenburg,Nebraska. His great-grandfather,Henry L. Williams,had settled in the Gothenburg area in the early 1890s,where he farmed and ranched before founding the Gothenburg State Bank in 1902. Williams's grandfather and then his father served as the bank's presidents. [1] [2] [3]
Williams worked on the family farm in his youth. He graduated from Gothenburg High School in 1967,then attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln,receiving a degree in business administration in 1971. In 1969,he married nursing student Susan Kay Wright;the couple eventually produced two children. Intending to become a lawyer rather than to carry on the family's farming or banking operations,he attended the University of Nebraska College of Law. [1] [2] [4]
In 1973,however,his father unexpectedly died,and responsibility for the family bank devolved upon Williams. He joined the bank as vice-president,commuted between Gothenburg and Lincoln until he completed his Juris Doctor degree in 1974,then moved to Gothenburg. In 1979,he assumed the presidency of the bank. [1] [2]
During the 1980s U.S. Farm Crisis,Williams was forced to sell part of his family farm in effort to keep the Gothenburg bank alive [5] The bank attempted to give farmers as much flexibility as possible in managing their loans,and over the course of the farm crisis,only two of their farm customers declared bankruptcy. [4] During and after the crisis,Williams and other residents aggressively recruited industries;eventually,four Fortune 500 companies set up operations in the Gothenburg area. [2] [4] [6]
Williams served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association in 2003–04. In 2008,he joined the board of the American Bankers Association;in 2012–2013,he chaired the organization. [1] [7]
In September 2013,Williams stated that he was considering running either for the Nebraska governorship or for an open seat in the Nebraska Legislature. [8] In late October,he announced that he would seek the legislative seat representing District 36,consisting of Dawson,Custer,and the northern third of Buffalo Counties,and including the cities of Gothenburg,Lexington,Cozad,and Broken Bow. [9] [10] Under Nebraska's term-limits law,the incumbent,John Wightman,a Republican from Lexington,was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. [11] [12]
Williams,a Republican,faced a single opponent in the contest. Luis Sotelo,a Lexington Democrat,was a college-planning specialist working for EducationQuest,a Lincoln-based nonprofit established to improve access to post-secondary education in Nebraska. A native of Chihuahua in northern Mexico,Sotelo had been brought to the United States by his parents at the age of five. He had graduated from Lexington High School in 2007 and from Northwestern University in 2011,then taught school in Kansas City with the Teach For America organization. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
In the course of the campaign,Williams declared that the two most critical current issues in Nebraska were water policy,which he described as unsustainable,and the state's tax structure,which he said handicapped attempts to recruit businesses;he stated that his background in business and in agriculture and his "proven leadership skills" were what the voters wanted and needed. [18] Sotelo asserted that education,particularly in early childhood,was a critical issue, [18] and said that the legislature needed members who would represent Latinos,Africans,and the middle class,"not just upper-class whites". [19]
When the nonpartisan primary election was held in May 2014,Williams received 6348 of the 7368 votes cast,or 86.2% of the total. Sotelo received 1020 votes,or 13.8%. [20] Since there were only two candidates running,both moved on to the general election. [21]
Over the entire course of the campaign,Williams collected over $110,000 in contributions,and spent over $91,000. [22] The Sotelo campaign collected over $37,000,and spent over $34,000. [23] Major contributors to Williams's campaign included the Nebraska Realtors PAC,which gave $7000;the Nebraska Bankers State PAC,with contributions of over $4000;and the Nebraska Telecommunications Association,which yielded $4000. The Gothenburg State Bank contributed about $2600;several other banks and the Nebraska Independent Community Bankers PAC made up over $2600 in contributions. [22] Sotelo's single largest contributor was Leadership for Educational Equity,which provided $7750; [23] the group describes itself as "a nonpartisan,nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Teach For America corps members and alumni to grow as leaders in their communities and help build the movement for educational equity". [24] Sotelo also received $1750 from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers,and $1470 from the Nebraska Democratic Party. [23] The Nebraska State Education Association contributed $1350 to each campaign. [22] [23]
In the November 2014 general election,Williams received 7599 of the 9747 votes cast,or 78% of the total. Sotelo received 2148 votes,or 22%. [25]
In the 2015 legislative session,Williams was named vice-chair of Banking,Commerce,and Insurance Committee;he was also appointed to the Judiciary Committee. [26]
The American Bankers Association (ABA) is an American trade association for the U.S. banking industry,founded in 1875. They lobby for banks of all sizes and bank charters,including community banks,regional and money center banks,Federal savings associations,mutual savings banks,and trust companies. The average member bank has approximately $250 million in assets. ABA is the largest financial trade group in the United States.
John Milton Wightman was a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. He served two terms,from 2007 to 2015,in the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in the central part of the state. Wightman was a member of the Republican Party.
Dennis Utter was an American politician and a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
Laura Lynne Ebke is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. A resident of the city of Crete in the southeastern part of the state,she served a single term in the Nebraska Legislature,from 2015 to 2019.
Tommy Garrett is a politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. In 2013,he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the unicameral Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in Sarpy County,in the Omaha metropolitan area. Garrett is a member of the Republican Party. In Nebraska,the legislature is non-partisan.
Robert "Bob" Hilkemann is a politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing an Omaha district.
Joni Craighead is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014,she was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in Omaha. She resigned in 2017,before the end of her term.
Mervin Merle Riepe is an American politician from the state of Nebraska. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in the Omaha metropolitan area. In 2018,he lost re-election to Democrat Steve Lathrop,but in 2022 after Lathrop decided not to seek re-election,Riepe was again elected to the Nebraska Legislature.
John S. McCollister is an American politician who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023,representing an Omaha district. McCollister is a moderate member of the Republican Party.
Matthew V. "Matt" Hansen is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a Lincoln district. Hansen is a member of the Democratic Party.
Patty Pansing Brooks is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 28th district. Elected in November 2014,she assumed office on January 7,2015.
Roy Baker is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in the southeastern part of the state. Baker is a member of the Republican Party.
Curt Friesen is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2006,he unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Nebraska Legislature. In 2014,he was elected to the legislature,and has since represented a central portion of the state. Friesen is a member of the Republican Party.
John Kuehn is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in the south central part of the state. Kuehn is a member of the Republican Party.
Michael K. Groene is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in the southwestern part of the state,including the city of North Platte. Groene is a member of the Republican Party. He resigned in 2022 after admitting to taking sexually inappropriate photographs of a legislative aide.
Dan Hughes is an American politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in the southwestern part of the state. Hughes is a member of the Republican Party.
John Stinner is an American politician from Nebraska. In 2014,he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature,representing District 48 which includes Scotts Bluff County. Stinner is a member of the Republican Party.
Nicole Fox is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2015,she was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the Nebraska Legislature,representing a district in downtown and southern Omaha. In 2016,she sought election to the seat and came in third in the nonpartisan primary and thus failed to advance to the general election.
The 2022 Nebraska State Legislature elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Nebraska voters elected state senators in the 24 even-numbered seats of the 49 legislative districts in the Nebraska Unicameral as well as in a special election for the 31st District. State senators serve four-year terms in the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
Michael Jacobson is an American politician,businessman,and banker serving as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 42nd district. Governor Pete Ricketts appointed him on February 23,2022.