William A. Johnson Jr.: Difference between revisions
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{{succession box | title=[[List of mayors of Rochester, New York|Mayor of Rochester, NY]] | before=[[Thomas P. Ryan, Jr.|Thomas Ryan]] | after=[[Robert Duffy (mayor)|Robert Duffy]] | years=1994 – 2005}} |
{{succession box | title=[[List of mayors of Rochester, New York|Mayor of Rochester, NY]] | before=[[Thomas P. Ryan, Jr.|Thomas Ryan]] | after=[[Robert Duffy (mayor)|Robert Duffy]] | years=1994 – 2005}} |
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Revision as of 23:53, 6 January 2011
William A. Johnson Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 64th Mayor of Rochester | |
| In office January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Robert Duffy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Johnson Rochester, New York |
| Died | William Johnson |
| Resting place | William Johnson |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Howard University |
William A. "Bill" Johnson, Jr. was the first African-American elected mayor of the City of Rochester, New York. Elected in November 1993, Johnson was the 64th mayor of the city and was re-elected in 1997 and 2001. Although he received 78% of the votes in 2001, he announced that he would not seek a fourth term, and was succeeded in 2006 by former Rochester Police Chief Robert Duffy. In 2003 Johnson ran unsuccessfully for Monroe County Executive. Johnson was defeated in a landslide by former television newswoman, County Legislator and County Clerk Maggie Brooks. He won only the city of Rochester, and the heavily Democratic town of Brighton by 200 votes. Johnson's advocacy of metropolitan government in the County proved to be unpopular in the suburbs, leading to Johnson's defeat by a 2 to 1 margin. The debate over whether to consolidate local government functions for the purposes of efficiency and tax savings, which Johnson made one of the cornerstones of his regional public policy initiatives, continues today.
Johnson was educated at Howard University where he received both his bachelor's, master's and three honorary degrees. He was the deputy executive director of the Flint, Michigan Urban League and director of the National Urban League Voter Registration Project. He also taught political science at Mott Community College.
He moved to Rochester in 1972 and served 21 years as president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Rochester. He later became a trustee of the U. S. Conference of Mayors and served as chairman of the Smart Growth and Regionalism Task Force. In 2006 he became a Minett Professor of public policy in Rochester Institute of Technology' College of Liberal Arts.
Johnson's tenure as Mayor included a number of successes, including new housing and revitalization of parts of the city. He is also remembered for largely continuing the policy of fiscal restraint and downsizing of government begun by his predecessor Thomas Ryan (and continued by his successor Robert Duffy). However, the failure of two large scale projects, the attempted revitalization of the High Falls district into an entertainment center, and the attempt to bring a high speed ferry service linking Rochester and Toronto, remain points of controversy today.