William
A. Johnson Jr. was elected 64th mayor of the City of Rochester in November
1993. He was re-elected without opposition in November 1997 and won a third
term in November 2001.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Under Johnson’s leadership, the City
of Rochester has initiated a variety of innovative programs, including the
Neighbors Building Neighborhoods Program (considered a national model of
citizen involvement in community planning), Neighborhood Empowerment Teams,
Community Oriented Policing, and programs to reduce housing blight and increase
the number of new and renovated homes.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In 1999, the city began implementing
the Rochester 2010 Plan, which sets forth the elements for the revitalization
of the entire city. Other projects, like the fast ferry and the Rochester
MusicFest, have become a reality under Johnson’s leadership.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Johnson is an outspoken critic of
urban sprawl and an advocate of smart growth policies. He has written and
spoken widely on these subjects. He is also an ardent proponent of regionalism.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In 1999, Governing Magazine named Johnson one of the Top 10 Public Officials
in America. He is a trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a member of the
Executive Committee of the New York Conference of Mayors, National Conference
of Black Mayors, and is vice chair of the Task Force on Community and Regional
Development of the National League of Cities. He is also chair of the Board of
Partners for Livable Communities, a trustee of the Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra, and a member of the Board of Excellus, Inc., a health care insurer
in Upstate New York.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Before serving as mayor, Johnson
served for 21 years as president and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester,
where he was responsible for developing and overseeing a number of programs in
education and youth development, family services, employment training, and
housing development.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Johnson increased the league’s
programs from five to 29, and the annual budget from $550,000 to $4.5 million,
during his tenure.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Prior to coming to Rochester in
December 1972, Johnson was deputy executive director of the Flint, Michigan,
Urban League. He was also a tenured member of the political science faculty of
the Mott Community College in Flint, and a legislative analyst at the National
Highway Users Conference in Washington, DC.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Johnson earned his bachelor’s and
master’s in political science from Howard University in Washington, DC. He has
been awarded honorary doctorates by Keuka College, St. John Fisher College, and
Rochester Institute of Technology.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Johnson is married and has three
daughters, a stepdaughter, and four grandchildren.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2003.
