At the April 4 City Council meeting, Brenda J. Williams was appointed to serve as the interim councilwoman to represent Ward 5, an area of the city that includes portions of downtown and west Las Vegas. The Ward 5 council seat had been left vacant when Lawrence Weekly was appointed by Governor Jim Gibbons to serve on the Clark County Commission.

Councilwoman Williams is no stranger to the public sector. For more than 12 years, she served as U.S. Senator Richard Bryan’s constituent services representative. During her tenure with the senator’s office, she worked on many projects that benefited the city including the development of the Mike O’Callaghan Federal Hospital and the relocation of a branch of the U.S. Post Office to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

A lifelong resident of Ward 5, Councilwoman Williams is actively involved in the community. She participates in many community and professional organizations including the Urban Chamber of Commerce, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and the Las Vegas Black Historical Society, among others. She is also a member of Congresswoman Shelley Berkley’s African-American Advisory Committee and Senior Citizens Advisory Committee. She has received recognition and honors from local organizations including being named the Board Member of the Year by the Black Chamber of Commerce.

Councilwoman Williams will serve as the Ward 5 representative until the winner of the Tuesday, June 5, General Election is sworn in at the June 20 City Council meeting.