Delaware Regulator Williams Won't Seek Re-Election

Delaware Regulator Williams Won't Seek Re-Election

NU Online News Service, Jan. 12, 2:53 p.m. EST?Delaware Insurance Commissioner Donna Lee Williams, one of the longest-serving insurance commissioners in the country, has announced that she would not seek re-election to a fourth term in order to spend more time with her family.[@@]

Ms. Williams, a Republican, said she plans to finish out her third term, which ends December 2004. By then, she would have served three complete terms spanning 12 years.

Ms. Williams was the first woman elected to the commissioner's post in Delaware. In terms of longevity, only commissioners of Mississippi and North Carolina have served longer.

She has been serving as vice chairperson of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' senior issues task force and is chairperson of the NAIC's financial regulation standards and accreditation committee.

"I firmly believe that this decision is in the best interests of both the people of Delaware and my family," Ms. Williams stated. "While holding public office has been an honor and a privilege, it has become increasingly more difficult to balance the increasing demands of this position with my responsibilities at home."

She also said she had been mulling over the decision with her family since Christmas holidays. Ms. Williams is married and has one daughter. "I have accomplished many of the goals I set for this department, and I am proud of the fact that I am leaving it and Delaware's insurance stakeholders in a better position than when I arrived," she said.