Angelia Williams is a woman who wears many hats.

In addition to juggling a full-time career as a realtor with a part-time gig at city hall, she somehow manages to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at Old Dominion University.

Yet despite her already busy schedule, the 38-year-old Norfolk native is ready to take on yet another role – Councilwoman.

Late last month, Williams announced her candidacy for the Norfolk City Council’s Superward 7 seat, which represents more than half of the city in a majority-black voting district. She is the second candidate to announce after Planning Commissioner Earl Fraley Jr., who has received support from Councilman Paul Riddick.

According to the Pilot, also running are Ingleside Civic League president Phillip Hawkins Jr., former Norfolk State University administrator Jimmie D. Wilson, and health care service entrepreneur Dorothy M. Evans.

Interested in this newcomer in her first bid for public office, I scheduled a face-to-face interview at a Starbucks of N. Military Highway, where we meet two days later.

She strikes me as confident and personable as we sit at a table in the corner and she outlines her campaign platform.

As with any politician worth their salt, the key question is always the same – why you?

“I’m not a lawyer, I’m not a doctor – I’m a regular person who works every day, pays my taxes and wants to see the city prosper and flourish and be as brilliant as I know it can be,” she says.

Williams.

Ah, the everyman approach, I think. But throughout the conversation she seems to address the cynicism of myself and people like me, soured by politicians after years of inept leadership, with her own brand of homegrown optimism.

She responds to certain questions by saying, “When I win…” instead of, If I win, and says “we” when referencing the council as if she’s already a member. Needless to say, it’s a telling sign of her confidence as a candidate.

When I ask her specifically what is the most pressing challenge the city currently faces, she takes a deep breath.

“Oh boy, we have a lot – but I think public image and perception and lack of trust in city leaders,” she says. “We need to be more interactive with our citizens.”

This appears to be one of the top items on Williams’ platform: to restore public confidence to the council – and she has ideas on how to do it.

She proposes that the council move its meetings back to 7 p.m., to allow for more residents to attend, and that each council member have their own Web site, through which they can be directly contacted by their constituents. She notes that neighboring cities have already adopted such measures.

“If it works for other cities, it can work for Norfolk,” she says. “It would at least give the council the opportunity to put out there what we’re doing, what we’re working on. When it gets splashed out on the front page of the newspaper it looks like we have something to hide…We need to tell it before the newspaper tells it.”

Williams, as a candidate at least, seems to practice what she preaches when it comes to accessibility. On her campaign Web site, she even provides her cell phone number. It should also be noted that Williams didn’t hesitate to agree to an interview for AltDaily, which she admits she was not familiar with.

Another key item on Williams’ agenda is fiscal responsibility – a given for any candidate running in this economic environment amid statewide budget cuts.

Williams proposes that every department in the city be audited with the intention of identifying and eliminating waste.

“Every department, from the City Manager to the lowest person on the totem pole needs to be audited,” she says. “What is necessary and what is unnecessary? What are spending too much money on that we could spend less money on? That is one of the things that I strongly think needs to happen.”

When asked under what circumstances she would consider increasing the city’s revenue through an increase in real estate and personal property taxes, she tries to diffuse the question as best she can. She voices her reluctance to do such a thing, while not completely taking the option off the table.

“I would be hard-pressed to consider increasing tax rates,” she says. “We have people who are struggling to pay their mortgages now… That is something that would be an absolute positive last resort.”

As I mentioned earlier, Williams exudes the kind of up-beat attitude needed when running for office. She seems to truly believe in the city’s potential.

“We do a lot of things well in Norfolk,” she tells me. “We can truly be a world-class city.”

It’s enough for me to actually feel a twinge of shame for my cynicism.

Learning more about her background, I find that this attitude was probably instilled in her at a young age. Williams grew up in Ingleside, the same neighborhood where she lives now, the daughter of a Baptist minister and a city school teacher. She attended St. Mary’s Academy and is a 1990 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School.

“She’s energetic, just full of energy and very analytical,” said Norfolk NAACP President James Rivers, who has known Angelia for literally her entire life. “When she’s faced with a situation she thinks about it, she doesn’t just shoot from the hip… She’s concerned about people – period.”

While Rivers says he will support Williams’ campaign, he was careful not to endorse her candidacy. In addition to Williams, Rivers says he has formed close relationships with Fraley, and those at the time of this writing that are said to be considering a run for office.

With Governor Tim Kaine. (Picture from Williams' Facebook)

“The thing for a person to be voted in to the council is trust,” said Rivers. “Angelia exemplifies and typifies that she will be able to be trusted.”

Williams mostly worked in retail until 2000, when she began working part-time positions at the Commissioner of Revenue and the Sheriff’s offices. She contends that her experience working in the city government would be a major asset to her as a Councilwoman.

It should be acknowledged that Williams is launching her campaign amid allegations that her superior, Commissioner of Revenue Sharon McDonald, may have improperly spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on restaurants and hotels in Richmond while lobbying state legislators. While the credit card in question was used solely by McDonald and there are no allegations that the more than 45 employees in the department knew or took part in any wrongdoing, Williams is aware of the nature of politics and the effect that such an association could have on her campaign.

Nevertheless, she continues to stay positive about her chances for office.

“Just because we work there, does it mean we’re all guilty because we work there? I happen to be running for office so the question gets posed to me,” she says. “The team of people I work there do an incredible job for the city… Will it have an effect? I hope not.”

She says she began thinking about public service as early as 2002, when she bought her house in Ingleside with the intention of running for the council’s Fourth Ward seat.

That same year, Williams’ father died. With her mother’s mental health deteriorating, she was forced to take her in, delaying her plans to run for office.

She was appointed to the Norfolk Public Libraries Board of Trustees in 2003.

In 2004, Williams earned her Associate’s degree from Tidewater Community College. The same year, she also became a member of the Young Leaders Society of the Hampton Roads United Way.

In 2005, she completed the University of Virginia’s prestigious, Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership. She was in the same class as Scott Rigell, currently running for Virginia Second District in the U.S. Congress.

In 2008, she received her real estate license. Shortly after, she began working for Long & Foster Realtors while retaining her job at the Commissioner of Revenue’s Office.

Williams is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Political Science at Old Dominion University. She plans to graduate in December 2011.

She is also a member of the Ingleside Civic League and the Norfolk City Democratic Committee, where she serves as a Precinct Captain.

Both of her parents are now deceased. She is divorced with no children.

While Norfolk NAACP President James Rivers declined to publicly endorse Williams’ candidacy, Treasurer Melinease Hutchinson showed no hesitation.

“Angelia is a fine young lady, very well spoken and would make an excellent Councilwoman,” said Hutchinson, who met Angelia as a child in the early 1980’s after moving to Norfolk from New York. “Angelia is very capable, she’s got a lot on the ball; she’s got the energy and moral capacity.”

Now 80, Hutchinson says she will vote for Williams and support her candidacy anyway she can.

“I will go to that headquarters and whatever I can do, I will do it,” Hutchinson said. “I’m simply hoping and praying that she’s successful and everyone will see what she has to offer.”

Williams’ involvement in her community speaks to her ability to lead. She knows that when residents have problems they’re looking locally for solutions.

“[Citizens] look to us for help. When they have an issue or they have a problem, they don’t look to Washington, they don’t look to Richmond,” she says. “They look to the people working for the city every single day.”

The Norfolk-native plans to hold an event at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 28 to officially kick-off her campaign at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Berkley. It is the same church where her father preached for more than three decades.

Before our interview comes to an end, Williams takes time to specifically speak to younger voters – whose turnout in local elections has been historically low.

“We need to be soliciting their opinions and ideas,” she says. “When I was younger, I often felt like I didn’t matter. I was single, I didn’t have children…We need to focus on the needs of all citizens, including young adults and professionals.”

I left the coffee shop that morning a little bit less cynical than when I walked in – just a little bit.