La'Mont Raymond Williams

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

La'Mont Raymond Williams

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Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Lincoln Park High School

Bachelor's

Upper Iowa University, 2010

Law

Loyola University Chicago, 2014

Personal

Birthplace

Chicago, Ill.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney at law

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

La'Mont Raymond Williams ran for election to the Chicago Public Schools school board to represent District 9b in Illinois. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

La'Mont Raymond Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a high school diploma from Lincoln Park High School, a bachelor's degree from Upper Iowa University in 2010, and a law degree from the Loyola University Chicago in 2014. Williams' career experience includes working as an attorney at law and as chief of staff and general counsel to Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry

Elections

2024

See also: Chicago Public Schools, Illinois, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Chicago Public Schools school board District 9b

Therese Boyle defeated Lanetta Thomas, La'Mont Raymond Williams, and Miquel Lewis in the general election for Chicago Public Schools school board District 9b on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Therese Boyle (Nonpartisan)	36.3	33,140
	Submit photo	Lanetta Thomas (Nonpartisan)	29.1	26,568
	Submit photo	La'Mont Raymond Williams (Nonpartisan)	17.7	16,197
	Submit photo	Miquel Lewis (Nonpartisan)	16.8	15,355

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 91,260
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brittany Bailey Preston (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Williams in this election.

2022

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Illinois State Senate District 16

Willie Preston won election in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 16 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Willie Preston (D)	100.0	38,713

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 38,713
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 16

Willie Preston defeated La'Mont Raymond Williams in the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 16 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Willie Preston	54.3	9,473
	Submit photo	La'Mont Raymond Williams	45.7	7,978

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,451
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kimberly Egonmwan (D)

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

La'Mont Raymond Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised on the South side of Chicago in the 9th District and attended CPS schools. I graduated from Upper Iowa University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree and graduated Loyola University Chicago’s law school in 2014. I currently serve as Chief of Staff and General Counsel to Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry serving Cook County's Third District. I continue to serve in this role since 2018. As Chief of Staff and General Counsel, I work with a wide range of community groups, elected officials, and stakeholders to tackle governmental issues throughout Cook County. I successfully help create and develop a small business program at Cook County. I analyze, consult on, and prepare Commissioner Lowry’s budget preparation pertaining to Cook County’s over $9 billion dollar budget. I successfully developed several governmental programs, drafted legislation and ordinances, and submitted successful fiscally responsible amendments to government budgets, specifically, Cook County's budget. I also work daily with community stakeholders to address and solve a variety of government-related issues. Additionally, I am an Illinois licensed practicing lawyer for over nine (9) years with experience in government relations work, contract negotiations, and consulting. I currently serve as a youth mentor, 4th and 5th grade basketball coach, and tutor/guest lecturer for the nonprofit Minority Legal Education Resources, Inc., tutoring minority law students to pass the bar exam.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am the only candidate who is a licensed attorney over nine years. I am the only candidate with government experience, serving as Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry's Chief of Staff and General Counsel, who advises, consults, and analyzes complex government budgets similar to CPS' projected budget. No other candidate in this race can claim the relevant experience I possess.
• I am the only candidate running on actual proposed solutions to address the issues plaguing CPS , specifically District 9. I am not running on talking points from special interest groups, rather I propose researched solutions to address CPS issues.
• I am the only truly independent and critical thinking candidate not taking special interest money and not tied to a special interest group's agenda.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My public policy agenda consists of expanding the curriculum to include vocational and Career Technical Education programs to offer alternative educational options for students who are interested in the trades. Not all students want to attend college and offering an educational path, both encouraging obtaining skills in emerging job markets and promoting additional education, will create a more equitable curriculum. This will also serve as an incentive for other students to attend CPS. Additionally, I intend to advocate for more equitable resources for students with disabilities and special needs. I plan to advocate for expanded busing for all CPS students, as transportation insecurity should not be an additional stressor for both students

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Autobiography of Harold Washington

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, and accountability.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I possess sense of duty, honor, and conviction to my morality.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A CPS Board member owes a fiduciary duty to our students and taxpayers to provide the highest quality education possible while responsibly utilizing taxpayer money. Additionally, Board members are responsible formulating a fiscally responsible budget; evaluating the performance of the CPS CEO; and passing District-wide policy for all CPS.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be remembered as a good man won did right by the people under my charge.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Daycare worker and little league umpire.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job of a school board member is to insure the District provides the best quality education possible while insuring the District operates on a fiscally responsible budget for taxpayers.

Who are your constituents?

My district represents approximately 35,000 students. My constituents are working and middle class families, 81.6% of which identify as African American.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

I want to increase public participation in CPS Board meetings. Additionally, I intend to put forth recommendations allowing for more access to CPS Board meeting minutes while abiding by the Open Meetings Act. I will advocate for additional audits of CPS’ budgetary process to ensure more transparency and education into the budgeting process at CPS. I believe in communication, collaboration, and action. Personally, if elected, I will prioritize frequent visits to the schools within my district, and across the city, to meet with local school councils, students, parents, teachers, stakeholders, etc. to discuss issues in real time.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Frequent collaboration through meetings, surveys, and other means to ensure I educate my district on items up for discussion and votes at the Board level, while allowing me to communicate directly with my constituents. Direct communication is the best path towards ensuring my Board votes align with the will of my District.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

I will hold frequent office hours, both in person and virtually, to be accessible to parents and constituents. Direct communication is the best path towards ensuring my Board votes align with the will of my District.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability is paramount and imperative to creating public trust between the public and elected officials.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

La'Mont Raymond Williams did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

Chicago Public Schools school board District 9b

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