Williamsburg's youngest council member says she'll stay after graduation

Good morning! We talk with Ayanna Williams about being a full-timeime student and city council member...an update on school speed cameras....plus Labor Day closings.

Aug 29, 2025

Ayanna T. Williams (Williamsburg Watch photo).

Williamsburg city council member Ayanna T. Williams should be graduating from William & Mary this spring -- two years before her city term expires -- but says she isn’t going anywhere.

“Williamsburg comes first,” said Williams, a 20-year old senior who became the first black woman elected to city council last year. She was also the first full-time student to serve in government.

Scott Foster was the first student elected to city council in 2010, when he was just weeks away from graduation.

Williams was a junior majoring in government when she won the seat formerly held by Caleb Rogers last year. She was sworn in on January 9 of this year.

Although she would like to attend law school, she insisted in an interview this summer that if she were not accepted at a local institution, she would remain in the city to fill out her city council term.

Williams said her first year on council has been spent learning the ins and outs of government. She is usually the last council person to speak at city council meetings, usually agreeing with the other council members.

But she said the other city council members do not treat her as a junior member despite her youth and relative political inexperience.

“My council colleagues have really treated me with …respect…in any interaction that I've had with them,” Williams said. “I've enjoyed working with everyone, especially in tough times, like the budget…(they) …want to hear my opinions and include me in the conversations.

“I'm still kind of in the learning process. I've really just trying to figure out how Williamsburg works, the history…seeing how I can most effectively use my skill set that I bring to the table to impact the community in the best way that I can,” she added.

She said the sometimes-acerbic public reactions to this year’s budget also taught her the value of hearing other opinions, and making compromises to accommodate them.

“Public input is such an essential part to making well-informed decisions that will benefit everyone in our community,” she said.

Williams ran on a platform that included providing more funding for local school teachers and affordable housing opportunities for students and city residents. She said that is still her priority but admitted she has not had time to follow through on campaign promises to hold town halls and send out regular newsletters to inform constituents.

According to the Flat Hat student newspaper, Williams received financial and organizational support from Williamsburg For All, a political action committee that advocates for increased student involvement in Williamsburg local politics. She had served as the group’s finance director.

“Williamsburg’s two main demographics are people older than 65, and college students…from 18 to maybe 24… those are two biggest subsets of groups here,” she said. “One of the things I've been thinking about is, how do we get rid of the us against them mentality on both sides…especially downtown, here in the neighborhoods surrounding the college.”

Besides working to improve students’ options in the local rental market, Williams said it’s important to ensure good relations with their neighbors.

She is a fan of the neighborhood parties that the student assembly helps put on in different downtown neighborhoods to bring residents together.

Williams encouraged city residents to continue expressing their opinions to city leadership.

“We need to hear your voice, especially as some of these decisions come up, like the library.”

School speeding cameras not operational yet

Sign outside Lafayette High School (Williamsburg Watch photo)

Classes began on schedule Monday, but speeders in school zones got a temporary break.

James City County is installing systems equipped with devices to identify drivers going more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit in school zones and capture their license plates. After a 30-day warning period, they will begin receiving citations with $100 fines.

Assistant Police Chief Monique Myers said some of the equipment is still being installed, and the warning phase won’t begin until September.

The systems will be set up outside schools that were identified in a police survey as having the greatest problem with speeders:

Toano Middle School
Norge Elementary School
Stonehouse Elementary School
D.J. Montague Elementary School
Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School
James River Elementary School
Lafayette High School

Guest Opinion:

Don't Gift Failure: Why WJCC Schools Should Reject 'Equitable' Grading Reforms

By Steven Mains

As the school year begins anew in Williamsburg-James City County, our community is grappling with how to elevate education and restore student achievement to pre-COVID levels. SOL scores have risen since the pandemic lows of 2020-21, but they still lag behind 2018-19 highs, with persistent gaps for minority and economically disadvantaged students.

Amid this recovery, one proposed "fix" stands out: the "gifty-fifty," where missing work earns a minimum 50% instead of zero. This approach, championed by education consultants and university Education Departments, promises “equity” but delivers the opposite.

See the entire essay in our Opinions Page.

Labor Day Closings

Hod carriers at Greenbelt, Maryland. — Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

James City County

County offices and courts – Closed

Libraries – closed Aug. 31 and Sept. 1

James City County Recreation Center and Abram Frink Jr. Community Center:
Closed

All County parks, park stores and guest service offices open year-round.

Jolly Pond Road, Tewning Road and Toano Convenience Centers:
Closed

Garbage Transfer Station: Closed
Monday’s recycling will be picked up on Tuesday, Tuesday’s will be picked up on Wednesday, etc.

York County

County Government Offices and Courts Closed

Libraries closed

Waste management center offices and transfer station closed

York-Poquoson Social Services closed

Virginia Cooperative Extension closed

VPPSA Compost Facility closed.

Garbage collections are not affected by the holiday. Recycling will not be collected on Monday, September 1, and will be delayed one day for the remainder of the week with routes completed on Saturday, September 6.

Williamsburg

All city offices and courts closed

Library closed

Quarter path recreation center closed.

Waller Mill Park follows normal operating hours, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Garbage will be collected on its regular schedule Monday and Tuesday. Recycling collection will be delayed by one day; Monday recycling collection is rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2, and Tuesday recycling collection is rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 3.