Shelby Williams
Shelby Williams (Republican Party) is running for election to the Collin County Commissioners Court to represent District 4 in Texas. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Williams was a member of the Plano City Council in Texas, representing Place 5. He assumed office on June 18, 2019. He left office on March 14, 2025.
Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Shelby Williams earned a bachelor's degree from Western Governors University in 2006 and a graduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. His career experience includes working as a business executive.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Collin County, Texas (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Collin County Commissioners Court District 4
Julie Holmer (D) and Shelby Williams (R) are running in the general election for Collin County Commissioners Court District 4 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Julie Holmer (D) | |
 | Shelby Williams (R)  | |
| ||||
| = 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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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Collin County Commissioners Court District 4
Julie Holmer (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Collin County Commissioners Court District 4 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Julie Holmer | 100.0 | 20,232 |
| Total votes: 20,232 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Collin County Commissioners Court District 4
Shelby Williams (R) defeated Woody Huffines (R) in the Republican primary for Collin County Commissioners Court District 4 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shelby Williams | 50.5 | 11,036 |
| Woody Huffines | 49.5 | 10,826 | ||
| Total votes: 21,862 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Williams received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Williams's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Gov. Greg Abbott (R)
- Texas Homeschool Coalition
- Texas Values Action
2023
See also: City elections in Plano, Texas (2023)
General election
General election for Plano City Council Place 5
Incumbent Shelby Williams defeated Brett Cooper in the general election for Plano City Council Place 5 on May 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shelby Williams (Nonpartisan) | 54.1 | 10,332 |
| Brett Cooper (Nonpartisan) | 45.9 | 8,782 | ||
| Total votes: 19,114 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2019
See also: City elections in Plano, Texas (2019)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Plano City Council Place 5
Shelby Williams defeated incumbent Ron Kelley in the general runoff election for Plano City Council Place 5 on June 8, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shelby Williams (Nonpartisan) | 53.3 | 11,082 |
 | Ron Kelley (Nonpartisan) | 46.7 | 9,723 | |
| Total votes: 20,805 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
General election
General election for Plano City Council Place 5
Incumbent Ron Kelley and Shelby Williams advanced to a runoff. They defeated Byron Bradford in the general election for Plano City Council Place 5 on May 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ron Kelley (Nonpartisan) | 46.7 | 9,439 |
| ✔ | | Shelby Williams (Nonpartisan) | 43.8 | 8,869 |
 | Byron Bradford (Nonpartisan) | 9.5 | 1,921 | |
| Total votes: 20,229 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Shelby Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses.
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- Collin County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, and the 6th largest county in the state. We already have 1.3 million people and will more than double in size in the next few decades. I have the deep and relevant experience to address our greatest needs, such as water, energy, transportation, and economic vitality.
I served 6 years on Plano City Council during some of the most challenging times in our city’s history; 10 years advocating in the state legislature for policy such as property tax reform; and 25 years professionally helping companies tackle their most complex initiatives.
This blend of experience positions me to help address Collin County’s challenges head-on. - Vision is just as important as experience. I come with solutions to maximize livability in our rapid growth, keep public safety our top priority, address needs for water, energy, and transportation infrastructure, and promote economic vitality without wasting taxpayer dollars. I pioneered the current effort for DART reform and envision alternatives to Highway 380 closer than the Outer Loop. I believe we need to migrate to materials like HDPE for municipal water lines to reduce leaks in our shifting soil. I also want to explore deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and microgrids to provide more localized, reliable energy. I have a hundred more ideas, and am committed to working with constituents and community leaders for our county.
- The people of Collin County deserve elected servants who do what they say they’ll do. I have a record of driving the kind of results necessary to address Collin County's greatest needs as one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. I’m proud that I fulfilled all of my campaign promises in just the first 15 months of my first term on Plano City Council, working with my council members to unanimously adopt property tax reform and a new comprehensive plan to guide future growth and development. Likewise, I successfully drove adoption of our short-term rental restrictions, and I initiated the effort for DART reform, which now has a multi-city coalition. I’ll bring the same grit as County Commissioner.
Government can’t wave a magic wand and make a community prosperous, but government–especially local government–has a responsibility to create safe and secure society and a solid foundation in which prosperity can flourish, and opportunity abounds.
By Texas Values Action and the African-American Republican Club of Collin County.
Community leaders like Ray Huffines, Natasha Owens, Sara Akers, and Keenan Williams.
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.
Campaign website
Williams' campaign website stated the following:
Water & Energy
Water and energy are the two biggest issues nobody is talking about. With the rapid population growth in North Texas, both are critical, and we’re not developing the infrastructure, production capability, or distribution mechanisms for water and energy fast enough to meet our growth. That should alarm everyone.
For water, I’ll work with local, state, and federal authorities on the need for more reservoirs like Bois d’Arc Lake and the proposed Marvin Nichols reservoir, but to meet our needs sooner, I’ll champion additional solutions such as desalination and Direct Potable Reuse (DPR), as well as conservation measures like preventing mandatory lawn-watering, using gray water for evaporative cooling of data centers, and reducing leaks in municipal water systems by as much as 30 percent by using materials such as HDPE which better withstand our shifting soil. Likewise, the North Texas Municipal Water District boasts the largest ozonation plant in the country. I want to make sure that ozonation is supported and augmented by Biologically Active Filtration (BAF) at all of our water plants.
For energy, I’ll champion additional nuclear power production, including of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for more localized production as well as enabling more consumer production mechanisms. I likewise am a proponent of hardening the Texas electric grid and adopting micro-grids for greater resilience.
Approaching these issues in a thoughtful, proactive way, looking decades into the future, will best enable us to see to the needs of future generations.
Smart Growth & Development
We have the chance in Collin County to make sure the community we give to future generations is one of the most robust, resilient, thriving places in the entire country. Collin County is already the sixth-largest county in Texas, and one of the fastest-growing counties in America. Texas Instruments’ investment of billions of dollars in new fabs in Sherman will mean even faster growth between Dallas and Sherman, putting Collin County in the middle of tremendous growth and economic expansion. We can do that the right way or the wrong way, and my experience on Plano City Council has equipped me to help navigate the eventual build-out of the county in a thoughtful, measured way that looks to the future resilience and economic vitality of the region long after our lifetimes.
As County Commissioner, I’ll not only have a vote on county matters, but will work with cities, residents, businesses, and developers to help ensure smart, attractive, and vibrant growth and development. I’ll likewise work with state agencies and state legislators, as I have for many years, to collaborate on policy, infrastructure, and economic development to protect all stakeholders.
Our communities will need an appropriate blend of housing and commercial, and suitable diversification of housing types to facilitate easy transition between life stages. We must likewise cultivate a considered blend of businesses to provide for broad economic resilience through economic cycles.
Above all, we must proactively look years into the future to promote an environment in which our region is equipped to continually redevelop and revitalize for decades to come, consistently creating the future version of the Collin County we all love today.
Public Safety
I’m proud to have earned the endorsements of both the Plano and Dallas Police Associations as a testament to how strongly I’ve championed public safety for the past several years. The #1 job of government is to secure our rights, and public safety is a critical aspect of that. On Plano City Council, I voted to authorize our new Fire Training Center, and voted to OVERfund the police during the “Defund the Police” movement. Collin County is a funnel for illegal activity heading north from the border, and I’ll work to ensure that our Law Enforcement, from the Sheriff and Deputies to our Constables, are equipped with all they need to send the message to the bad guys that they’ll regret breaking the law in Collin County. Likewise, whether it’s in an Emergency Service District or contracting with municipalities, I’ll work to make sure fire service is top-notch countywide to protect our citizens’ families and their most important investment—their home.
Protecting Our Kids
Our children deserve our protection, and it’s our responsibility as parents and a community to ensure they’re not victims of predators, trafficking, drugs, pornography, or sexualized indoctrination. On Plano City Council, I fought to protect our kids from being trafficked and sexualized, and I’ll continue to do so.
Transportation
I’ve led the fight to reform DART for the past six years, and I’ll continue to ensure the transportation needs across North Texas are met effectively and responsibly. Collin County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, with some estimates predicting that our population could nearly triple to over three million people by 2060. Our region needs effective transportation infrastructure, along with water and energy, to thrive. I’ll see to the smart residential and economic growth of North Texas by proactively working with TxDOT, state and federal elected officials and agencies, municipalities, neighboring counties, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NTXCOG), and the Regional Transportation Commission.
Top 10 Campaign Priorities
These were the top 10 priorities I campaigned on for Plano City Council. Promises Made, Promises Kept.
- [FULFILLED] Adopt the No-New-Revenue Tax Rate to keep your taxes flat for at least two years. We did it four years in a row!
- [FULFILLED] Critically evaluate the budget to drive maximum value and eliminate waste. Having kept property taxes flat for four years in a row, we have driven increasing value to maintain high-quality city services.
- [FULFILLED] Act on the Plano Tomorrow Plan petition, lawfully submitted years ago. We repealed the Plano Tomorrow Plan in 2020.
- [ONGOING] Preserve and enhance our suburban quality of life by responsibly managing our growth and development to ensure population growth is modest (we are already more than 10% over-populated according to the max population called for when the city was built out)
- [ONGOING] Extend dedicated left- and right-turn lanes where feasible to alleviate turning traffic spilling into and blocking the main thoroughfare
- [FULFILLED] Re-time our traffic lights at least annually. We are also making significant technology improvements.
- [IN PROGRESS] Drive implementation of bio-filtration coupled with ozonation in ALL water stations in the North Texas Municipal Water District, as was done in the Dallas Water District, to eliminate the need for the annual “chlorine burn” and give us clean, safe, pure water at ALL times
- [FULFILLED] Publish ALL relevant financial information on the City Budget Portal—including Income Statement, Balance Sheet, etc. so that all Plano citizens can easily understand how their tax dollars are being used
- [FULFILLED] Publicly release city council meeting agenda and materials a full week in advance rather than the Thursday night before the Monday council meeting
- [IN PROGRESS] Create a city council voting record web page on the city’s website so anyone can look up any council member’s vote at any time, with links to all relevant information provided for the vote, to provide far greater transparency and voter information
Transparency & Accountability
Citizen participation in local government is alarmingly low. Part of this is because it’s difficult for citizens, with our busy lives, to follow what’s going on–especially with budget and taxes. I want to foster as much citizen engagement in our local government as possible, ensuring everything is out in the open, and closed meetings are strictly limited to the provisions in the Texas Open Meetings Act.
The The Commissioners Court’s #1 job, like City Council’s, is oversight, and when it comes to ensuring taxpayers understand where their money is going, I’ll continue to work to make the process as transparent as possible, so the people can hold their elected representatives fully accountable.
Property Taxes
The property tax issue in Plano–and the rest of Texas–was spiraling out of control. Plano’s city property taxes on existing homeowners increased 40% in just the five years from 2014-2019. I’m very proud to say that I successfully championed the No-New-Revenue tax rate four years in a row in Plano, successfully keeping your city property taxes flat each year.
Starting in 2020, new legislation passed by the Texas Legislature limited the extent to which local taxing authorities (cites, counties, school districts, etc.) can raise your taxes without you being able to vote on it; for cities, that’s 3.5% per year, but I’m pleased to say we didn’t wait for 2020. As one of my first acts in office, I’m voted to keep taxes flat for the first time in 24 years.
Get educated in the future. Some boast about lowering the tax rate while in reality, your actual tax burden has increased. Do you care about the rate, which is just a ratio? Or do you care about how much of your actual hard-earned money is going to the tax man?
When questioned, cities point the finger at the School Districts, saying, “They take even more in taxes,” and the School Districts points the finger at “Robin Hood,” which takes 1/3 of the School District tax revenue, and everyone points the finger at the County Appraisal District whose only job is to try to figure out the market value of your home (though that process is also rife with issues).
Most advocate taking ever-more of your money–money you could use for your children’s education or your own retirement–but few champion responsible stewardship of your tax dollars to drive maximum value. I do.
Every year after appraisals come out, my friend Scott Grigg, Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector conduct a free Property Tax 101 seminar. Join us next time or see our recorded webinars: How Property Taxes Work in Texas and How to Protest Your Appraisal.
I’m not stopping there, though. I’m championing the elimination of Property Tax statewide in the Texas Legislature. Listen to me on the Information Edge podcast here.
— Shelby Williams' campaign website (February 20, 2026)
2023
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released March 23, 2023 |
Shelby Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses.
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- Citizen participation in local government is alarmingly low. Part of this is because it’s difficult for citizens, with our busy lives, to follow what’s going on–especially with budget and taxes. I work to make things as understandable and transparent as possible, to foster more citizen engagement in our local government. The City Council’s #1 job is oversight, and when it comes to ensuring taxpayers understand where their money is going, I’ll continue to work to make the process as transparent as possible, so the people can hold their elected representatives fully accountable.
- The #1 job of any city is public safety, and my goal over the next four years is for Plano to dominate the list of America’s Safest Cities, where we appear every year. I have consistently voted to provide our Police and Fire the equipment and personnel they need. I voted to authorize our new Fire Training Center, and also voted to OVERfund the police–our response to the “Defund the Police” movement.
- The property tax issue in Plano–and the rest of Texas–was spiraling out of control. Plano’s city property taxes on existing homeowners increased 40% in just the five years from 2014-2019. I’m very proud to say that I have successfully championed the No-New-Revenue tax rate every year I’ve been in office, successfully keeping your city property taxes flat for the last four years in a row. Every year, my friend Scott Grigg, candidate for Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector conduct a free Property Tax 101 seminar. Join us this year on April 25th at 6:00 pm at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Plano
Public Safety
Property Taxes
Short-Term Rentals
Housing Mobility
Public Transit (DART) reform
Volunteer Management
Emergency Preparedness
Plano Citizens Coalition
Collin County Republican Party
Elected Officials:
Congress:
Pat Fallon
Beth Van Duyne
Keith Self
Texas State Senate
Angela Paxton
Mayes Middleton
Texas House of Representatives
Matt Shaheen
Jared Patterson
Local
Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner
Collin County Judge Chris Hill
Collin County Commissioner Susan Fletcher
Collin County Commissioner Darrell Hale
Frisco City Councilman Brian Livingston
Allen City Councilman Dave Cornette
Former
Former Congressman Van Taylor
Former Plano City Councilwoman Lily Bao
Former Plano City Councilman Shep Stahel
Non-Elected
Chris & Jim Kerr
Joan Konkel
Pat Greer
Ray Huffines
Lauriston Crockett
Jessica Bartnick
Maggie Whitt
Jack Hosterman
Jim Dillavou
Kat Fox
Sharon Borgne
Scott Grigg
Rohit Joy
Nathan Smith
Sharon Bradshaw
Mary Helen Noland
Smith Noland
Patrick Wamhoff
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.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Shelby Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1) Promote as much transparency as possible to make it as easy as possible for citizens to be as informed and engaged as possible to drive as much accountability of our elected officials as possible 2) Tax responsibly. In the last five years, have been raised 40% on homeowners and 50% on all property types. I will remember that it’s not the city’s money—it’s your money 3) Ensure responsible growth and development. Plano already has the second highest population density of any city in Texas with a population over 250,000, is already comprised of 1/3 multifamily housing, and is already 7.4% over the maximum population in the city plan. Our city council is so eager to lure new people here that they’ve forgotten the ones who are already here. I will represent the people who call Plano home—not the interests of outside high-density developers who pour money into my campaign
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Responsible taxation, transparency
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
Jesus Christ is first and foremost as a role model for all the obvious reasons. Behind him, Thomas Jefferson for his steadfast leadership, Samuel Adams for never being afraid to fight, Mark Twain for his inimitable sense of humor, Milton Friedman for his deep understanding of the immutable laws of economics, human nature, and reality, Ronald Reagan for his courage in calmly facing down the greatest threat to humanity, My late father for being the most brilliant, yet humble man I ever knew
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Forthrightness - a city councilman’s job is oversight of the city government, and I would immediately call for any city employee who deliberately deceived me or the citizens to be fired—the job of the people is oversight of their elected officials, and their expectations should be no less. Inquisitiveness - an elected official who doesn’t ask probing questions is not performing their job of proper oversight. Sense of duty - we serve the people, not the other way around. Most forget that very quickly. Leadership - people don’t elect leaders who will hem and haw and avoid tough issues—they elect leaders who lead. Courage - politics is a nasty business because it’s run by humans. It requires courage to not be liked, to be criticized, to be attacked, and still remember why you are there, and the job you have to do.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
While I am far from perfect, I continually strive to be all of the things I described above.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
1) Oversight of city government, which means asking tough questions and being willing to sometimes say “no.” 2) Fiscal responsibility. People have to live within their means. Government is funded by people. Therefore, government, too, should have to live within its means.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Any generation has the solemn duty to pass on to the next generation a world and society better than when we inherited it. Likewise, any parent’s greatest responsibility is to prepare their children for adulthood and to inherit that world. I want to do both.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
Ronald Reagan was shot. I was give years old.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I worked the register at Arby’s when I was fifteen for about a year.
What happened on your most awkward date?
We failed to hit it off, which is presumably why it was awkward.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Easter, because all of this is fleeting.
What is your favorite book? Why?
Naturally the Bible, but after that, my favorite stand-alone book is the Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas, for its engaging intrigue. My favorite series is The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan for the most intricate plot line I have ever read. The Wheel of Time makes the Lord of the Rings look like the Cat in the Hat.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Han Solo might be a lot of fun...
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My family, because they are the most important thing to me on this earth.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Million Dreams, from The Greatest Showman, because I’m going to sing it at my daughters’ piano concert.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
My permanent injury, suffered the week after 9/11
Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?
While the city council consistently blames higher taxes on the County Appraisers Office for setting your property values higher, the city council sets the actual tax rate AFTER your appraised value is finalized, and can set that tax rate wherever it pleases, and thus the city council has COMPLETE control over how much you will pay in city taxes.
What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?
1) Experience leading volunteers 2) Business and budget experience 3) An inquisitive nature 4) Martial arts—this requires a strong heart and tough mind
What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?
The office belongs to the people.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?
The most crucial requirement of this office is to be human. Many politicians no longer qualify.
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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Collin County Commissioners Court District 4 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 24, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Plano City Council Place 5 2019-2025 |
Succeeded by Steve Lavine |
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State of Texas Austin (capital) |
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