Looking Back: 7 Questions with Mayor Johnson

After 4 ½ years of serving as Muskego's mayor, former police chief John R. Johnson will be stepping down from his office on Tuesday, April 19^th. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to sit down with Mayor Johnson in his office to discuss his time as mayor, his future plans, and his advice for incoming mayor Kathy Chiaverotti.

Q: What were your favorite accomplishments while in office?

Mayor Johnson: I'm not a politician by nature – I was a police chief. So my first goal in office was to get the government of Muskego seen in a different light. I wanted us out of the papers, at least for the wrong reasons. That I feel we accomplished. Second, I wanted us to make the government more efficient for the money we were spending. We consolidated a good portion of the government and saved money. We reduced staff – mainly through attrition, but we did have to have some layoffs. But now, the government is saving $900,000 annually, without a reduction in services. In fact, in the top 40 cities in Wisconsin by population, we spent the least per capita in 2009, and as I said, that was without a reduction in services.

Q: Do you have any regrets of the past 4 ½ years?

MJ: I was not pleased with having to lay off the employees that we did. Some of them were my friends, and I feel sorry for that. However, that being said, they were laid off for the right reasons. When you are working in the government, your number one loyalty has to be to your citizens. So, in this case, it was the right thing to do, even if it was hard.

Q: What will you miss about the job?

MJ: The people. I will miss the routine and the interactions with the people. I won't miss the politics, that's for sure.

Q: What is something about you that people might not know?

MJ: What you see is what you get with me. I can't hide much. Some think I come across as hard-nosed, and in some cases I might be, but I'm actually a soft touch. It's really by nature.

Q: What are your plans after Tuesday?

MJ: I don't have any. I was going to retire 4 ½ years ago, it just worked out that I took the job as mayor. I don't know if I'm going to like retirement, but I have to try it – I need to experience the retirement phase to make sure it's for me. I'm 64 years old – I've got another 10-15 more years, if I'm lucky. So I need to try it. I'm going to golf, fish, spend some time with my beautiful grandkids, and do some work around the house. My wife and I will go down to Florida in the winter. I really have no set agenda. It has to be time for me, to take care of myself and my health. If I need to work, I can always go back and get a job somewhere.

Q: What are your thoughts on the election of Kathy Chiaverotti?

MJ: I think it's the right decision. I supported both Kathy and Luke [Hudock], but the statement was made. The people of Muskego, I think, understand and recognize that inflation also affects the cost of government. You can't get in front of people and tell them taxes will not go up, because they will. They need to, otherwise you face a reduction in services. As long as you are not wastefully spending that tax money, the citizens understand that it is necessary to protect the standard of living that is being provided. The government is like a business: it costs money to operate. Prices go up. Kathy understands that, and I think she'll do great.

Q: Do you have any advice for her, coming into the job?

MJ: I have a stack of homework for her to go through. I just think she needs to be herself. People will see that, and she's good at it. It's gotten her this far. Stay in touch with the community and rely on your citizen friends for advice. Be open to ideas and work with the common council. I've never had to veto a bill because I worked with the system to come up with compromises and agreements. But have your core beliefs and take them to the wall.