Andy Johnson (Golden Valley City Council Member, Minnesota, candidate 2025)

Andy Johnson

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Golden Valley City Council Member

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

Illinois Institute of Technology, 1986

Graduate

University of Minnesota, 2001

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1986 - 1995

Personal

Birthplace

Minneapolis, Minn.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

IT manager

Contact

Campaign website

Andy Johnson is running for election to the Golden Valley City Council Member in Minnesota. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Andy Johnson provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 6, 2025:

• Birth date: August 20, 1964
• Birth place: Minneapolis, Minnesota
• High school: Totino-Grace High School, Fridley, MN
• Bachelor's: Illinois Institute of Technology, 1986
• Graduate: University of Minnesota, 2001
• Military service: United States Navy, 1986-1995
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Catholic
• Profession: IT Manager
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: For a Transparent and Responsive Government
• Campaign website
• Campaign YouTube video

Elections

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Golden Valley City Council Member (2 seats)

The following candidates are running in the general election for Golden Valley City Council Member on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Aaron Black (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Joanie Clausen (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Steve Dent (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Tracey Fussy (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Andy Johnson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jean Kidd (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Chris Queitzsch (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

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Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Andy Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My wife Gabrielle, daughter Mara, and I moved to Golden Valley in 2009. We've both rented and owned a home here and have made many wonderful memories with family, friends, and neighbors.

I’ve always had a desire to serve. This includes armed forces duty as a Navy officer, and a crop insurance technology executive serving America’s farmers and ranchers. I've served two years on Golden Valley’s Board of Zoning Appeals, eight years on the Planning Commission. a city volunteer, and currently am president of my townhome association Board of Directors.

I believe a government best serves its residents when it is transparent and responsive.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Real Responsive Government. 1) Restore City Council’s mandatory discussion and voting on policy and critical issues. 2) Improve resident engagement through more thorough, multi-channel, and frequent communications. 3) Ensure prompt and complete responses to resident inquiries. 4) Create an electronic forum for dialog and information exchange.
• Health and Safety of residents and city employees. 1) Emergency Preparedness, particularly plans for loss of city wide water pressue. 2). Firefighter safety and wellness, in particular firefighter decontamination after an emergency response. 3). Restore full management of police and fire departments to the chiefs and have them run like every other police and fire department in the state. 4) Foster and inspire a valued and productive city staff and first responders, with retention goals
• Fiscal Responsibility. 1) Create and manage a city budget based on core needs. 2) Fully disclose the annual multimillion dollar cost of Tax Increment Financing and the state’s Fiscal Disparities law, which reduce services and misallocate resources. 3) Stop using Tax Increment Financing in city development. 4) Mobilize voters to demand an end or waiver to Fiscal Disparities so we can invest in our own infrastructure. 5) Fully evaluate and provide impact of “free” grants and their associated cost and expense increases

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about land use and zoning ordinances, the unsung heroes of a thriving community. We can significantly improve public engagement during the planning process.

I'm also passionate about an effective public safety policy, including support of the statewide norm whereby police and fire chiefs fully manage their departments, with expected oversight. Senior city staff now micromanage our chiefs which impacts retention and emergency management.

This is a non-partisan election. Let’s end the practice of candidates seeking and advertising endorsements from political parties. This encourages and invites state and federal politics into our community. At the local level our focus should be clean water, safe neighborhoods.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was washing dishes at a local diner. I was twelve and made $1.50 an hour. I had unlimited access to the soda machine and got one free meal per shift. It was a great summer!
I continued to work every summer after that, including more dishwashing, delivering newspapers (and collecting cash directly from customers!) and delivering for local pharmacies.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Its absolutely beneficial in two ways. 1) Governments, even small city ones, are complicated with their own language and culture. It serves the residents best if their elected officials have greater than average experience and expertise in at least one segment. 2) Residents typically engage with local government as volunteers. Sharing time and expertise is an outward statement of commitment and shows the general public willingness to serve.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None. In a non-partisan election I believe candidates should not seek nor accept endorsements.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I’m proud of running for a local office. Its time consuming, exhausting, and rewarding, and something people can only understand once they do it. Running for office requires time management, focus, humility, creativity, and stamina. I believe that, win or lose, it is an accomplishment to commit to non stop action with a singular goal in mind, all while meeting new people and encountering issues that can help shape the future of the city. Receiving someone’s vote is deeply humbling and meaningful and I truly cherish that responsibility.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Golden Valley City Council Member

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