By Jefferson Díaz
The Truth Reporter
Blair Johnson is on a mission: to be elected to the Toledo City Council and continue and expand the work he’s done for years as a businessman and community leader.
One of the essential parts of that mission is connecting with citizens, with the voters and speaking with them face-to-face to learn about their problems, possible solutions and future plans for Toledo. Johnson wants to build this connection with Toledoans through town hall meetings
Johnson is on a kind of a rock-star tour of town halls, and his most recent one took place at the Kent Branch Library. There, with a pen and a notebook in hand, he listened to every concern and suggestion the attendees had.
Security was one of the key issues, especially after the six violent deaths in Toledo last July 4th weekend. “The city’s systems aren’t working. And that leads not only to security problems, but also to housing and transportation issues, for example,” Johnson said.
Next November, Toledoans will go to the polls to elect a new mayor and six new at-large council members. Johnson is running for one of those six seats as an independent candidate. His main slogan is to listen to the people, but “really listen to understand them,” as he always emphasizes.
During the town hall at the Kent Branch Library the state of certain city roads, especially those surrounding downtown, was also discussed. The condition of certain avenues, with their cracks and potholes, was a source of concern. “Ideally, road repair plans should have an established start and end times, and those times should be adhered to, so that citizens don’t have to wait weeks for repairs,” said the candidate.
Johnson wants to be a public servant who offers real solutions. He worked for the United States Postal Service for years and then moved into private housing development. “I understand your problems; I’ve experienced them myself because I’m a citizen of this city,” he said during the town hall, where he also asserted that he is not “just another politician” but a candidate who offers “real solutions.”