Jay Williams

I am Jay Williams and I am a candidate for the South Dakota District 18 House of Representatives.

I was raised on a farm south of Gettysburg, S.D. My parents stressed the importance of hard work and education. I grew up working on the farm where I learned to love the beauty and bounty of South Dakota. I graduated from Gettysburg High School in 1968, and earned a Navy scholarship to attend the University of Wisconsin. There I met an amazing woman who later became my wife. Carol and I have built a life together that has provided us some interesting experiences that make me the person you want representing you in Pierre.

During the height of the Vietnam War, I started my service in the US Navy. I spent my summers as a Navy Midshipman deployed on US Navy ships and in training. During the summer of 1971, I served on the USS Oriskany in active war time operations in Vietnam. It was during this employment that I saw first hand the awesome fire power of the U.S. Navy as we engaged in the war. After graduating from college I was commissioned as a Naval Officer. I earned my wings as a Naval Aviator, which included landing a jet plane and an aircraft carrier. This experience taught me the importance of meticulous attention to detail. I served as a search and rescue helicopter pilot, first in Naples, Italy, and later in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I left the Navy in 1978. Those 10 years of military service gave me a deep appreciation for the value of public service.

Carol and I volunteered for the Peace Corps and were assigned to Bogotá, Colombia. Seeing how governments operate that do not always have the best interests of their people in mind gave me the drive to ensure that our government works for the people and not for special interests.

After the Peace Corps I returned to college to earn a Master of Science degree in Computer science. The training gave me the tools I needed to earn a living and to support and raise a family. I took a job with Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas, where our first child was born. From Texas Instruments, I took a job at a high tech start up company in Sillicone Valley, California. Those were heady times working in the heart of the high tech industry as he computer revolution exploded. Our family was growing — our other two children were born there.

Although I was working in an exciting and challenging industry, my first concern was — and still is — for my wife and children. My oldest was approach school age. A few years earlier, California became the first state to implement a property tax free. The result of that tax freeze was that the public schools (that received most of their funding from property taxes) were beginning to suffer. Programs were being cut and class sizes were increasing. My uneasiness with the California public schools, combined with my longing to return to South Dakota where there is clean air, low crime, wonderful people, and a lifestyle second to none, made me search for opportunities back home.

I was able to start a high tech business in Yankton, which allowed me to move my family to Yankton in 1986. It was the best move I have made and we have lived here ever since.

My children are now grown and have received great educations that have allowed them to prosper. I have remained interested in public service. During my years in Yankton I have served on volunteer boards, run for public office, and was elected to the Yankton School Board. In 2016 I ran against John Thune for the U.S. senate.

The knowledge and insights that I have gained over the years makes me a good choice o serve as your representative in Pierre. I invite you to join me in making an already great place to live even better!