Stirring up some much-deserved trouble for bureaucrats in Hood County is a native Texan by the name of Joe Williams. Like many of Texas’ most ardent activists, Williams got involved when he realized that a lack of citizen participation always leads to bad policy.
“I became actively involved with the Waco Tea Party in 2008 when I was frustrated with the way the country was being run,” said Williams. Fortunately for his neighbors, his passion for accountability grew and his focus didn’t stop at the federal level.
“There was much frustration with Washington politics but I soon learned that the local and state politics here in Texas was not much better,” he continued. “I began doing research and speaking with local residents who were also concerned and we began to educate ourselves about local and state government. We soon discovered there was much corruption and collusion among our state officials even when they seemed to be claiming it was in the best interest of the residents of Texas.
Discovering firsthand one of the preeminent problems in politics—officials speaking out of both sides of their mouths on important issues—Williams knew the best thing he could do was stand up and speak out. And just like that, an activist was born.
Williams has also been involved with the Lake Granbury Waterfront Owners Association since 2008; serving as vice president from 2011 until 2013 when he became the organization’s president.
As the founder of the “Save Lake Granbury” Facebook page—which began in 2008 and has since grown to over 21,000 members—a large part of Williams’ focus has been imposing accountability on the state’s water authorities, “We are currently involved in opposing all state river authorities who do not have board members who represent the residents within their district. Currently the system is run by the ‘good ole boys.’”
Williams and his colleagues are currently involved in some major fights for accountability, opposing a water permit sought by their local Brazos River Authority to sell additional water from a lake that is currently at historic lows.
A native Texan, Williams was born in Houston, Texas in 1957, and spent most of his childhood in Dallas, where he graduated from W.T. White High School. He then went on to receive his B.S. in Animal Science from Texas A&M, and later started a successful landscaping company in Plano in 1986. He moved to Granbury in 2007 and has two children, Danielle and Jason, and three grandsons. He loves all things outdoors, and enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and traveling.
