Anthony A. Williams - Legacy and Honors

Legacy and Honors

Williams was generally seen as a moderate; he had good relations with Congress and the White House, business and labor, and the community and region. Unlike many Democrats, he said he was "open" to Sam Brownback's proposal to implement a flat tax in D.C., and he supported school vouchers. His public persona is that of an intellectual bureaucrat, especially when compared to the colorful Barry. He is known for his signature bow tie.

In 1997, Governing Magazine named him "Public Official of the Year".

Driven by a growth in local revenues, income and sales taxes, Williams managed District resources to improve services, lower tax rates, improve the performance of city agencies and invest in infrastructure and human services. This dramatic turnaround required transformational improvements in cash management, budget execution, and revenue collections. After many years of declining population, the District has had a steady growth in population. In its July 2004 issue, Black Enterprise magazine selected Washington, D.C. as the second-best city in the country for African Americans to live and work in because of its housing, jobs, health care and economic development.

Under Williams' administration, the District’s crime rate dropped dramatically. By the end of his tenure, hotels reported 2% vacancy rates. Real estate values in the District remained high despite regional and national trends in the opposite direction.

On the eve of Williams’ last day in office in 2006, Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King wrote,

Williams leaves in his wake a city with a good bond rating, sizable cash reserves, a more accessible health-care system for the underserved, several promising neighborhood projects, a major league baseball team, a new stadium under construction and a home town that is no longer the laughingstock of the nation… On his watch, the District underwent its most profound transformation in generations. Williams promoted an investment climate that led to the sprucing up of a city that had gone to seed.