When someone asked me
recently if I was supporting Das Williams’ reelection as F1st District
Supervisor, my answer was: “Of course! I worked with him.”
Das was very young when
he first joined the Santa Barbara City Council — but he brought unusual
expertise, boundless energy, and passion for the work of making good policy. Did
he rub some people wrong along the way? Yes, some. Having been in public office
myself, I know that, if you don’t make some people unhappy, you probably aren’t
doing much of value.
Das’s work in the nine
years since leaving the council has been remarkable. While in the State Assembly,
he led on a range of issues — education, the environment, and public safety, to
name a few. In his three years on the Board of Supervisors, he has worked tirelessly
for the county, and in particular for hard-hit Montecito during unprecedented
double disasters. He knows the issues, and he looks for partnerships to find workable
solutions to a range of problems.