Don Williamson facts for kids

Donald J. Williamson (February 2, 1934 – April 2, 2019) was an American businessman and politician. He served as the mayor of Flint, Michigan from 2003 to 2009. He was married to Patsy Lou Williamson, who owned several car dealerships in the Flint area. He also led a company called The Colonel's International, Inc., which managed two raceways.

Early Life and Business

Don Williamson was born and grew up in Flint, Michigan. He married Patsy Lou, and they worked together. They helped grow a number of car dealerships.

Williamson also owned two raceways, Brainerd International Raceway and Colonel's. He combined them into one company. This company was called The Colonel's International, Inc.

Political Career

In 1999, Don Williamson ran for mayor of Flint. He challenged the mayor at the time, Woodrow Stanley, but he did not win.

After Mayor Stanley was removed from office, Williamson ran again. He was elected mayor in 2002. He won against Floyd Clack, who had been a state representative. Williamson was re-elected in 2007. He won against Dayne Walling, a local community leader.

Leading the City: The Williamson Administration

As mayor, Williamson's team worked on the city's money plans. They reported that Flint had a "balanced budget" for the years 2005 and 2006. A balanced budget means the city spent about the same amount of money it took in. Flint even received a national award for its budget in 2006.

However, later on, the city started to face money problems. By the end of 2008, Flint had an $8.3 million shortage of money. This shortage was expected to grow even larger in 2009.

Williamson appointed Darryl Buchanan, a city councilman, to be the City Administrator. This person helps manage the city's daily operations. Williamson said that paving many miles of roads was one of his proudest achievements as mayor.

Recall Effort and Resignation

In October 2008, people in Flint started a "recall" effort against Mayor Williamson. A recall is when citizens collect enough signatures to hold a special election. This election lets voters decide if they want to remove an elected official from office before their term ends.

There were enough valid signatures to move forward with the recall. A special election was planned for February 24, 2009.

However, before the election, Mayor Williamson made some changes. He replaced his City Administrator, Darryl Buchanan, with Michael Brown. On February 8, 2009, Williamson announced he would resign as mayor. He said he was leaving office for health reasons. His resignation became official on February 14.

Because he resigned, the recall election was canceled. According to Michigan law, if an official resigns, the recall election is no longer needed. On February 16, 2009, Michael Brown became the temporary mayor of Flint.

After leaving the mayor's office, Williamson ran for governor of Michigan in 2010.

Death

Don Williamson passed away on April 2, 2019. He was 85 years old. He died due to problems from a breathing illness.