El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells announces run for Congress
EL CAJON — Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon Tuesday announced his candidacy for the 50th Congressional District in the presence of family, friends and the media at the Ronald Reagan Community Center in El Cajon, a city in east San Diego County.
Wells brings nearly 15 years of public office experience to his candidacy, including his current tenure as Mayor of El Cajon. The doctor of clinical psychology owns and operates Broadwell Health, a behavioral health care facility.
The conservative Republican has been endorsed by more than a dozen notable elected leaders, including Mayor Steve Vaus of Poway and Mayor Richard Bailey of Coronado.
“I am running for the 50th Congressional District because I believe I can bring conservative Republican values to Washington, D.C.,” said Wells, 56. “My reputation as a leader and problem solver has lead to incredible business growth and prosperity for my community.”
California’s 50th Congressional District serves more than 730,000 constituents and stretches from Temecula to El Cajon and east to the Imperial County line, including communities such as Alpine, Borrego Springs, Escondido, Fallbrook, Julian, Lakeside, Ramona, San Marcos, Santee and Valley Center.
Wells, a La Mesa, Calif. native, first joined the political world as an advocate for a hospital employer, both at the local and state level. In 2004, he served as a Planning Commissioner and was later elected to the El Cajon City Council in 2008. When the prior mayor resigned in 2013, then Mayor Pro Tem Wells was appointed to serve out the remainder of the term. In 2014, Wells was elected as Mayor of El Cajon winning 83% of the vote.
He has also served as President of the Grossmont Union High School District’s Proposition H Bond Oversight Committee and was appointed to the board of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
“Here’s what I stand for: limited government, the sanctity of life, property rights, a strong national defense and a secure border,” Wells said. “I will dedicate my time in Washington, D.C., to reducing the national debt, rejecting tax increases, and unburdening workers and small business owners to realize their full potential.”
Despite his many accomplishments, Wells did not grow up dreaming of one day running for Congress.
“My story is not unlike that of so many other Americans,” he said. “My family legacy was to be an alcoholic, to struggle for every dollar and every single meal, to never realize my full potential.
“That was the destiny of my father,” he continued. “I was eight years old when a police office came to my door to tell me my father had taken his own life; finally losing his battle with alcoholism.”
At 11, Wells started a paper route in the Rolando neighborhood. Then Jack-in-the-Box at 16. In high school, he had his first dream of a way out: college.
Yet, post-college life still posed challenging. His first marriage ended with Wells as a single dad with sole custody of his then two young children. They lived in a small studio apartment.
He later married his wife Bettie Wells, a therapist. Together, the Wells have three children and four grandchildren.
Oldest son, Matt Wells,29, joined the family business after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps where he served as a Sergeant in Force Recon. Daughter, Katie Crosby, 28, lives with her family in Seattle where they own a contracting company. Youngest son, Eli, 20, is an Emergency Medical Technician and is working towards becoming a firefighter paramedic. The Wells family belongs to Skyline Wesleyan Church.
“It is my deeply held belief that holding public office is one of the greatest, most sacred jobs in America,” Wells said. “And I find it so incredibly American that even a kid like me, from a broken and impoverished family, can dare to dream of service in Washington, D.C. If you elect me to the 50th Congressional District, I will not let you down.”
Learn more about Bill Wells at www.wellsforcongress.com.
ABOUT BILL WELLS
Bills Wells of El Cajon is the conservative Republican running for the 50th Congressional District. He brings nearly 15 years of public office experience to his candidacy, including his current office as Mayor of El Cajon. The doctor of clinical psychology owns and operates Broadwell Health, a behavioral health care facility. He and his wife, Bettie, have three children and four grandchildren.
Congressman Duncan Hunter has responded to Wells’ announcement saying, “I’m a Marine who was elected to represent my constituents in Congress. Wells and others are politicians. Politicians are constantly running for higher office, that’s what they do. I fight for my beliefs and principles every day, and that’s what I will keep doing no matter how many politicians run against me.”
