Barbara Johnson (Minnesota)

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Barbara Johnson

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Minneapolis City Council Ward 4

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Education

High school

Regina High School

Associate

Anoka Ramsey Community College

Personal

Profession

Nurse

Barbara "Barb" Johnson is the former Ward 4 representative on the Minneapolis City Council in Minnesota. First elected in 1997, she lost a re-election campaign in the general election on November 7, 2017.

Although municipal elections in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan, candidates can choose a party affiliation to appear on the ballot. Johnson ran as a DFL candidate.

Biography

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Johnson earned an A.A. in registered nursing from Anoka Ramsey Community College.

Johnson's experience includes service as a founding member and chair of the Victory Neighborhood Association and as a member of the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Commission.

Elections

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2017) and Mayoral election in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2017)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, held a general election for mayor, all 13 seats on the city council, both elected members of the board of estimate and taxation, and all nine members of the park and recreation board on November 7, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 15, 2017.

Incumbents ran for re-election to all but two of the city council seats. Ward 3 Councilman Jacob Frey filed to run for mayor instead, and Ward 8 Councilwoman Elizabeth Glidden opted not to run for re-election.

Minneapolis City Council Ward 4, 2017, Round 2
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Transfer
Barbara Johnson (i)	48.3%	2,430	172
Phillipe Cunningham - Winner	51.7%	2,605	465
Stephanie Gasca - Eliminated	0%	0	−634
Dana Hansen - Eliminated	0%	0	−220
Undeclared Write-ins - Eliminated	0%	0	−11
Exhausted		228	228
Total Votes		5,263	0
Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes.

Legend:     Eliminated in current round     Most votes     Lost

This is the first round of voting. To view subsequent rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Minneapolis City Council Ward 4, 2017, Round 1
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Transfer
Barbara Johnson (i) - Most votes	42.9%	2,258
Phillipe Cunningham	40.7%	2,140
Stephanie Gasca	12%	634
Dana Hansen	4.2%	220
Undeclared Write-ins	0.2%	11
Exhausted		0	0
Total Votes		5,263	0
Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes.

Campaign themes

2017

Johnson's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	Public Safety Public safety is a serious concern for 4th Ward residents. While the number of property crimes has dropped significantly, the incidents of shootings, shots fired, and aggravated assaults have become intolerable. Barb has met with judges to help them understand the impact of gun crimes on our neighborhoods. She is also a member of the Hennepin County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which consists of judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, public defenders, and senior staff from the city and county. This group meets to discuss issues within the criminal justice system, and recommend changes and improvements. Barb supports increasing the number of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department. More officers on the streets means decreased response times. She is also supportive of the extensive training Minneapolis police officers receive, including Mental Health Crisis Intervention, Implicit Bias training, and training in Procedural Justice. She feels that all residents should receive respectful, prompt and helpful service from our police and follows through when she receives complaints about officers who treat neighbors in an unhelpful manner. Environment When Minneapolis residents were asked what they value about their city, our park system ranked near the top of the list. In fact, Minneapolis’ Convention and Visitors Association has the slogan, 'City by Nature.' When the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board did an assessment of the needs for operating capital for the system and recommended going to the voters for a levy increase which would have fallen heavily on homeowners, Barb led the charge to find a more practical solution. The result was a 20-year agreement between the City and the Park Board that increases spending for our parks. Northside park facilities will be the first to see improvements due to the equity measurements the Park Board uses in its decision making. The opportunity to plan and implement the conversion of nearly 50 acres of publicly-owned lands on the banks of the Mississippi River from industrial use to a community-oriented mix of housing, jobs, and great green space, is our most challenging adventure. The Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment offers a great opportunity for increased green space and aggressive storm water treatment. The developer selected for the Upper Harbor project has extensive experience in storm water management and we will see innovative proposals for a green redevelopment. Please help support the conversion at the Upper Harbor. Shingle Creek has benefited from active work by the Single Creek Watershed Commission. This year several projects are planned to improve the water quality of this natural resource that winds its way through our neighborhoods. After hearing complaints about pollution control violations at the site of Northern Metals, Barb worked with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to craft a legal solution that will close the facility and reduce pollution on the Northside. Housing The 4th Ward is experiencing a housing rebound! We have had much new construction, from the Humboldt Greenway to Green Homes North. Private investment is strong, but the City has been an important partner in supporting this new construction. We also have a new policy that offers incentives to people who build on the vacant lots available on the Northside. New homeowners can receive a subsidy of $20,000 to build homes on the vacant lots. If homebuyers are public safety employees of Minneapolis, or are teachers, they can qualify for $25,000. The City has also supported the renovation of many existing homes, preserving the charm of our wonderful, older housing stock. Housing values are increasing, and we are seeing many new homeowners! Economic Development Successful businesses are the lifeblood of neighborhoods, but the Northside can be a challenging place to start or expand a business. The City recently passed a measure which will increase support for small business by hiring 'navigators' to help entrepreneurs through the City’s regulatory process. However, your support and neighborhood spending are also important to the viability of our business community. We are on the cusp of seeing a new grocery store open in our community, but it will only succeed if we shop there. The 4th Ward has benefited from the private investment of many entrepreneurs, including the owners of The Goddess of Glass, Roots Birthing Center, Webber Mart, and NewHorizons Childcare Center. Livability The citizens of the 4th Ward are the most frequent users of the City’s 311 system. The most frequent calls are to report housing issues. Neighbors want to see properties maintained to neighborhood standards. We have a challenge with a few landlords who do not care for their properties and/or rent to people who have a history of being challenging tenants. Barb has been successful in dealing with a number of these properties and will continue to work with Regulatory Services, Minneapolis Police, and the Hennepin County and Minneapolis City Attorney Offices. Additionally, Barb strongly supports block clubs and encourages residents to start and maintain active communication with their neighbors. The 4th Ward is benefiting from the opening of the County’s first natural swimming pool at Webber Park, and will soon enjoy a beautiful new Hennepin County Library fronting on the refurbished Victory Memorial Drive.	”
—Barbara Johnson's campaign website, (2017)

Endorsements

2017

Johnson received endorsements from the following in 2017:

• AFL-CIO-Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation
• AFSCME
• International Union of Operating Engineers
• Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council
• Minneapolis Firefighters Local 82
• Minneapolis Municipal Retirees Association
• Minnesota Nurses Association
• Teamsters Joint Council 32 Drive
• Womenwinning

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Barbara Johnson Minneapolis City Council. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Barbara Johnson (Minnesota) - Google News

See also

Minneapolis, Minnesota	Minnesota	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

Suggest a link

• Campaign website
• Social media
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Minneapolis City Council, Ward 4 1998-2018	Succeeded by Phillipe Cunningham