2025 Patch Profile: Patricia Boye-Williams, Farmington Town Council

FARMINGTON, CT — Farmington Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Patricia Boye-Williams is running for the Farmington Town Council as a Democrat.

The following is Patricia Boye-Williams's questionnaire sent to Patch:

Candidate's Name: Patricia Boye-Williams

What office are you seeking? Town Council-2nd District

What town do you live in? Unionville

Campaign Website: https://farmingtondemocrats.org/2025-farmington-democratic-candidates/

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: I am a member attorney with the Michaud Law Group, where I advise developers and landowners regarding the development of utility-scale renewable energy projects, including solar and energy storage systems. As part of this work, I help clients manage environmental and other risks associated with the construction and management of these projects. I have practiced environmental and renewable energy law for over 20 years.

Family: My husband, Chad Williams, is a professor of computer science at Central Connecticut State University. My daughters, Grace and Kate, have both graduated from high school and are now in college.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

I served as a member of Farmington’s Town Council from 2018-19 and was the chair of both the Green Efforts and Land Acquisitions committees. I continued to serve as a member of the Green Efforts Committee until 2023. I was a member of Farmington’s Board of Education from 2021-23 and have been serving on the Town Council since 2023.

Why are you seeking this office?

Our town government should listen to residents and make decisions only after thoughtful consideration of the potential impacts of those decisions.

While it can be more cumbersome, it’s important to give residents an opportunity to be heard and participate in decision-making processes.

Even though it might be tempting to resolve conflicts outside of Town Council meetings in order to make public meetings more efficient, it is more important for residents to have the opportunity to be heard and considered before decisions are made.

I am running for reelection to Town Council because I believe our community deserves transparency, inclusion, and integrity from its elected officials.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:

Many of our fellow residents share the same concerns: maintaining our excellent schools; providing quality services while also being fiscally responsible; and addressing traffic throughout town, especially on Route 4 and in Unionville Center.

These are all issues that we deal with every day, which require creative and responsible actions.

I will continue to advocate for full funding of our schools to best serve our students.

With the potential for decreases in the amount of federal funding that has been relied on in the past, we will face difficult decisions regarding spending and services.

I plan to work with our state delegation to ensure appropriate state funds are allocated to Farmington and Unionville to continue to serve our residents.

I will also be transparent about decisions that the Town Council must make – whether it’s related to the budgetary concerns or any other issue that our town faces.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Everyone who runs for local office does it because they truly care about the town they live in, and they want to give back to their community, and that is true of all the candidates running for Town Council.

My skill set and background, however, make me uniquely qualified to develop creative solutions to issues facing the town and include as many viewpoints as possible as we continue to plan for the future.

Additionally, I have demonstrated my commitment to transparency and inclusion for decisions that impact the community, and I will continue to push for opportunities for residents to be involved in decisions that impact them.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

As noted in answers to other questions, I’m promising to consider others’ opinions and viewpoints while working to manage a variety of town concerns: funding for our schools, maintaining reasonable taxes, and evaluating traffic concerns.

All of these issues will require significant time and thought. But I also want to stay open to listening to residents about other concerns they may have so they can be addressed, as well.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence that you can handle this job?

In addition to the examples provided in response to other questions, as a lawyer, I regularly have to learn about new laws or policies that may affect my clients–and then analyze that information and evaluate how it impacts my clients and, finally, explain it in clear terms.

The ability to evaluate rules and how they impact clients and then create a path forward has taught me to think creatively and to explore all possible options.

Reaching a compromise is critical to achieving an outcome that different parties may want.

I’ve learned to be willing to evaluate “wants” and “needs” and figure out which ones are truly important to achieving a goal, and which ones can be let go.

The key to effective governance is similar.

We must communicate, and that includes listening to others and valuing their opinions and their needs, and also knowing when to let something go or whether it’s important enough to fight for.

When we keep discussions open and really listen to each other, it is easier to find a middle ground and compromise to achieve our true goal. I bring those skills to the Town Council.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

To be myself and not be afraid to ask questions.

I think society places a tremendous amount of pressure on people to always have an opinion about an issue.

I think it’s important to express myself authentically so that people can trust and understand me.

But we need to be willing to ask questions so that we can learn more about others and issues that we may not be experts on.

By being honest about who we are and being willing to listen and think about what others may have to say and their experiences, we can grow together and reach solutions to problems that may have seemed insurmountable at first.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a member of the Town Council, I have endeavored to listen to community members who called or sent emails and considered those perspectives when I voted or raised issues to consider.

I have fought for and succeeded at expanding the universe of residents who served on appointed committees and boards, bringing more voices to the table, and I would like to continue to evaluate how to get more people involved in town boards and commissions.

I also have a proven track record of listening to opposing viewpoints and working together to achieve solutions that are best for the town.

I intend to continue to fulfill those promises and will continue to listen to those who disagree with me to learn more and incorporate others’ viewpoints in my decision-making process.

At the end of the day, I represent the residents of the 2nd District, and I intend to serve you.