Elected for his third
consecutive term this March, Bill Green, the current mayor of Williamsport, seeks to continue highlighting both the historic and modern aspects of the city by supporting local businesses and preserving the past. Williamsport is currently home to approximately 750 homes and 2,100 residents nestled between the Potomac River and Conococheague Creek. The city’s rich history and historic landmarks, most notably, the C&O Canal, have forged a unified and locally driven community that its citizens can call home.

Green’s dedication to Williamsport began with his work within the town council, focusing primarily on improving streets and sidewalks around town. In his 6 years being a council member, he worked towards emphasizing the historic nature of Williamsport by making transportation throughout the town more visually pleasing and the drive smoother. Further into his term as councilman, Green noticed both environmental and structural issues within Williamsport that needed to be addressed. Throughout the last 8, almost 9, years being Mayor, Green has continued to correct the past neglected water infrastructure by installing new water valves, water lines, sewer lines, and more with a 2.7-million-dollar grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (E.D.A) awarded in 2015. With this drastic change underneath Williamsport, the city no longer had to shut down the entire town’s water for routine maintenance and provided the local community with upwards of 1,000 jobs.

Ever since the unfortunate vandalism of headstones in the historic Riverview Cemetary in 2021, Green has made a significant effort to source maintenance and training locally. This unique cemetery features the gravesites of soldiers from countless monumental wars including the Civil War, Revolutionary War, World War I, World War II, and more. As a direct effect, Green provided the employees at the cemetery free gravestone maintenance and repair classes. Moving forward, the cemetery will be able to address any minor or major issues locally, ensuring a quick resolution to any further damage without having to repeatedly outsource maintenance to the historic landmark. Additionally, Green pushed for in-house training for lifeguards at the local community pool, located in Byron Memorial Park, for a lower cost than traditional certifications and overall training. With this, Green has aided in providing Williamsport with jobs to the community without requiring them to make a significant monetary investment.
In 2008, Green created his social media accounts with the intention of spreading information as quickly as possible, reaching audiences that may have not had immediate access beforehand. However, as time went on, he noticed a growing change in misinformation encompassing the platforms that seemed uncontrollable. When faced with the question, “how can residents be more involved in town decisions,” Green urges individuals interested in changes and improvements within Williamsport to show up not only when they see an issue, but on a regular basis to stay informed with current and accurate information. He notes that attending town meetings does not always have to be a source of negativity, rather a dedicated time that motivates and unifies the town in informing and improving Williamsport for the better.