Angela Williams (politician)

2012 election

In the 2012 General Election, Representative Williams faced Republican challenger Travis French. Williams was reelected by a wide margin of 83% to 17%.^[4][5]

2013 legislative session

During the 2013 Colorado legislative session Representative Beth McCann sponsored HB13-1249, The Colorado Mortgage Accountability And Housing Stabilization Act. The bill would have restored minimal protections for homeowners in a 120 hearing. The House committee on Business, Labor, Economic and Workforce Development chaired by Representative Angela Williams killed the bill 9-2 in committee. Corrine Fowler, Economic Justice Director of the Colorado Progressive Coalition observed a “blatant disregard for the democratic process” speaking of the way Representative Williams conducted the hearing. According to Ms. Fowler, “the bill, as amended, would simply have provided the homeowners with a degree of due process that does not currently exist”. Although twenty-nine individual supporters of the bill showed up to tell their stories of predatory lending and lack of due process in the foreclosure process they were only given two minutes to speak while proponents, all connected to the financial industry, were given five minutes each to make their statement.^[6]

Williams spoke during a town hall she conducted on March 11, 2013, and spoke in support of HB13-1249. Supporters of the bill recorded the town hall and produced a video aimed at showing how she originally spoke about the need for the legislation.^[7] Shortly thereafter, Williams began expressing concerns with the bill by email, and refused to meet with supporters of the legislation, whom she called bullies. She used this term after Colorado Progressive Coalition (CPC) called on supporters to sit in at her office in the Denver Capitol to try to get an audience with her. She had been refusing to meet with CPC prior to that, even though they were supporting Representative McCann in sponsoring the bill.

Furthermore, shortly after the bill was killed in committee two Federal District Court judges began questioning the constitutionality of the 120 hearings, U.S. District Judges Philip Brimmer and William Martinez. Judge Martinez stated, “At issue is a provision in state law that allows lawyers to assert that their client, typically a bank, has the right to foreclose on a property even though they might not have the original mortgage paperwork to prove it. Colorado is the only state in the country that allows an unsworn statement by an attorney for a foreclosing party – without any penalty – to say, ‘Trust me, judge, these guys are the qualified holder for this deed of trust,’ “Is there another state that has lowered the bar for a foreclosure any lower?”^[8][9]

Opposition to Paid Family Leave and overtime wage legislation

In April 2015, Williams voted against HB 1258, the "paid leave" bill that "would have created a state-run, employee-funded program giving private-sector workers access to paid extended leave to care for themselves or family members."^[10] Two other failed workers' rights bills "would have required employers to pay overtime to any employee who works more than 40 hours a week and makes less than three times minimum wage" (HB 1331) and "would have allowed private-sector employees to inspect their personnel files once a year and add notes rebutting any documents with which they disagreed" (HB 1342); as reported by the Denver Business Journal, "Democratic Reps. Angela Williams of Denver and Tracy Kraft-Tharp of Arvada joined with Republicans in killing the employee-leave program. And they, as well as Democratic Rep. Paul Rosenthal of Denver, worked behind the scenes along with House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso of Loveland and the 30 other members of his Republican caucus to bring about the demise of the other bills that were introduced late in the session, said Loren Furman, senior vice president of state and federal relations for the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry."^[10]

Failed stalking charge

In October 2013, Williams pursued a stalking charge against Colorado Foreclosure Resistance Coalition activist Darren O'Connor.^[11] Mr. O'Connor did not deny, in court, that he had focused solely on Representative Williams after she chaired the committee that killed HB13-1249: The Colorado Mortgage and Housing Stabilization Act. Williams lost in court and Mr. O'Connor's efforts were characterized as effective political speech ^[12]

Magistrate Cary's order stated that Defendant (Darren O'Connor) is an effective and articulate spokesperson for his political beliefs, which do not always align with those of Representative Williams. But he has a right to express those beliefs in a peaceful, if persistent, way:

In denying Representative Williams Petition and citing City of Boulder v. Seth Brigham the Honorable Catherine Cary found that there were other more appropriate remedies available to the Petitioner, which would not threaten anyone's right to an exercise of free speech. And this Court agrees. Accordingly, Petitioner's request for a Permanent Civil Protection Order is denied.