Kenneth L. Johnson
Kenneth L. Johnson was a member of the Cleveland City Council in Ohio, representing Ward 4. He assumed office in 1980. He left office in 2021.
Johnson ran for election to the Cleveland City Council to represent Ward 4 in Ohio. He lost in the primary on September 14, 2021.
Johnson retired from city council in late December 2012. However, the Cleveland City Council appointed him to serve out the remainder of his term in early January 2013 in a 13-3 vote. Johnson's reappointment created controversy because it allowed him to draw funds from his public pension, while simultaneously receiving a $74,000 per year salary for his interim city council position.[1]
Biography
Johnson attended John Adams High School, Cuyahoga Community College, and Cleveland State University. He has seven sons.[2]
Elections
2021
See also: City elections in Cleveland, Ohio (2021)
General election
General election for Cleveland City Council Ward 4
Deborah Gray defeated Erick Walker, Antoine Tolbert, and Dontez Taylor in the general election for Cleveland City Council Ward 4 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Deborah Gray (Nonpartisan)  | 61.3 | 1,989 |
 | Erick Walker (Nonpartisan) | 35.9 | 1,164 | |
| Antoine Tolbert (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 1.2 | 38 | ||
| Dontez Taylor (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.1 | 3 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.6 | 52 | ||
| Total votes: 3,246 | |||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Cleveland City Council Ward 4
The following candidates ran in the primary for Cleveland City Council Ward 4 on September 14, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Deborah Gray (Nonpartisan) | 26.7 | 670 |
| ✔ | | Erick Walker (Nonpartisan) | 19.1 | 478 |
| Craig Willis (Nonpartisan) | 12.8 | 320 | ||
| Ashley Evans (Nonpartisan) | 9.7 | 243 | ||
 | Kenneth L. Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 7.6 | 190 | |
| Mario Snowden (Nonpartisan) | 5.9 | 149 | ||
 | Cecil Ekechukwu (Nonpartisan) | 5.6 | 141 | |
| Mike Shomo (Nonpartisan) | 3.8 | 95 | ||
| Arnold Shurn (Nonpartisan) | 3.7 | 92 | ||
| Vanessa Crumb (Nonpartisan) | 2.9 | 72 | ||
| Rowland Mitchell (Nonpartisan) | 2.4 | 59 | ||
| Total votes: 2,509 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- S. Xavier Allen (Nonpartisan)
- Antoine Tolbert (Nonpartisan)
- Dontez Taylor (Nonpartisan)
- Torrean Williams (Nonpartisan)
- LaShorn Caldwell (Nonpartisan)
2017
The city of Cleveland, Ohio, held elections on November 7, 2017. A primary election occurred on September 12, 2017. The mayor and all 17 seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was June 29, 2017.[3]
Incumbent Kenneth L. Johnson defeated Gail Sparks in the general election for Ward 4 of the Cleveland City Council.[4]
| Cleveland City Council, Ward 4 General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kenneth L. Johnson Incumbent |
56.65% | 2,262 |
| Gail Sparks | 43.30% | 1,729 |
| Write-in votes | 0.05% | 2 |
| Total Votes | 3,993 | |
| Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "General Election Official Results," November 22, 2017 | ||
The following candidates ran in the primary election for Ward 4 of the Cleveland City Council.[5]
| Cleveland City Council, Ward 4 Nonpartisan Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kenneth L. Johnson Incumbent |
48.14% | 1,179 |
| Gail Sparks |
22.62% | 554 |
| Rowland Mitchell | 13.11% | 321 |
| Arnold Shurn | 6.08% | 149 |
| LaShorn Caldwell | 4.45% | 109 |
| Julie Donaldson | 2.29% | 56 |
| Cecil Ekechukwu | 2.04% | 50 |
| Ngozi Adigwe | 0.98% | 24 |
| Write-in votes | 0.29% | 7 |
| Total Votes | 2,449 | |
| Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "Official Election Results," September 12, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kenneth L. Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Convicted of federal corruption charges and sentenced to 6 years in prison (2021)
On October 8, 2021, Johnson was sentenced to 6 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $700,000 in restitution after being found guilty on six counts of federal program theft, two counts of conspiracy to commit federal program theft, five counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns, one count of tampering with a witness, and one count of falsification of records in a federal investigation.[6]
Johnson was indicted on February 18, 2021 and found guilty on July 30, 2021.[7] Prosecutors on the case said Johnson netted $150,000 from claiming city council reimbursements related to falsified timesheets, depositing some of his sons' checks into his own bank account, and inflating the value of his tax deductions and under-reporting. Prosecutors claimed Johnson owes more than $90,000 in back taxes.[8]
As of December 10, 2021, Johnson had not issued a statement in response to the charges.
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Cleveland City Council allows retired colleague Ken Johnson to double dip in re-appointment," January 7, 2013
- ↑ City of Cleveland, "Kenneth Johnson Ward 4," accessed October 18, 2017
- ↑ Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed February 2, 2017
- ↑ Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "2017 Candidate List," July 7, 2017
- ↑ Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, "2017 Candidate List," July 7, 2017
- ↑ WKYC Studios, "Former Cleveland Councilman Ken Johnson sentenced to 6 years in prison for 15 corruption-related charges; ordered to pay $700,000 in restitution," October 8, 2021
- ↑ WKYC Studios, "Ken Johnson removed from Cleveland City Council after being found guilty of 15 federal charges," July 30, 2021
- ↑ WKYC Studios, "Cleveland City Councilman Ken Johnson arrested after indicted by federal grand jury on corruption charges: Read the indictment," February 23, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Cleveland City Council, Ward 4 1980 - 2021 |
Succeeded by Marion Anita Gardner (interim) |
| |||||||||
