historic City of Stone Mountain in 1995, and was then unanimously selected by his colleagues to

serve as Mayor Pro Tem (Vice Mayor). He also served as Chairman of the Finance Committee,

where he led the City to "outstanding financial status," as reported by independent auditors. He

held the distinction of having sponsored more legislation than any other then present Council

Member, including the legislation permitting the City’s erection of the "Freedom Bell"

commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, exhortation to "let freedom ring, even from Stone

Mountain of Georgia!" in his immortal "I Have a Dream" speech.

Because of his penchant for service, Billy offered himself as a candidate for the Georgia General

Assembly in 2002. As the Democratic nominee for the House of Representatives, he was elected

that November with over 70% of the vote to represent what is now the 88th Legislative District.

His constituents reside in most of Stone Mountain, parts of Tucker and Lithonia in DeKalb

County and parts of Gwinnett County. Upon his swearing-in, among the committees the Speaker

of the House of Representatives appointed Billy to include, being designated to serve as

secretary of the Congressional & Legislative Reapportionment Committee, which is unusual for

a first-term legislator to serve in a leadership capacity on a standing committee.

Further making history, he was elected by his peers to serve as secretary of the powerful Georgia

Legislative Black Caucus, becoming the first freshman legislator to serve as an officer of the

largest legislative Black caucus in the nation. He also became the first freshman member of the

General Assembly to serve on a legislative oversight committee when he was appointed to

Georgia’s Recreational Overview Committee, which is responsible for the legislative and policy

oversight of the state’s parks and recreation facilities, which includes Georgia’s most visited

facility, Stone Mountain Park. For his distinguished service, which includes sponsoring more

legislation signed into law during his first term then any other freshman legislator, including the

landmark legislation that allows "advanced voting" in Georgia, his colleagues selected him to

receive the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus prestigious "Freshman Legislator of the Year"

award.

Billy has received numerous awards including the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity Award for

academic achievement, the Shoney’s Restaurant Community Hero award, the Georgia Municipal

Association’s "Champion for Georgia Cities" legislative service award, the Association of

County Commissioners of Georgia "Outstanding Legislative Service Award" and the DeKalb

NAACP Pat Jones community service award. He is also a United States Jay-Cees selection as an

"Outstanding Young Man in America", the recipient of the East Point VFW "Mr. South Fulton"

award for community service, the South Fulton Rotary Club "Rotarian of the Year" award, as

well as Rotary International’s "Distinguished Club President" award.

A frequent public speaker and writer, Billy has authored several articles that have appeared in

various newspapers and magazines. He has served as a lecturer at the Kennesaw State

University, Burris Institute for Elected Officials, as well as lectured on Political Science at the

Clark Atlanta University. He is also a contributor to the best selling book, "Keeping the

Faith–Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope" by popular author, radio and television

personality, Tavis Smiley. The book was recognized as the "Best Literary Work for Non-

Fiction," at the nationally televised NAACP Image Awards.

Billy is married to the former Shawn Evans, a previous "Miss Norfolk State University" and

present college professor. They have two children, a daughter, Maya, and son, Sean, and are very

active members of the Saint Philip AME Church, a nearly 8,000-member congregation in

Decatur, where he also serves as an officer.