Gary Johnson (Ohio)

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Gary Johnson

Prior offices

Toledo City Council At-large

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Elections and appointments

Last election

April 28, 2020

Personal

Profession

Small business owner

Contact

Personal website

Gary Johnson was an at-large member of the Toledo City Council in Ohio. Johnson assumed office on January 1, 2018. Johnson left office on July 27, 2020.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election for Lucas County Sheriff in Ohio. Johnson lost in the Democratic primary on April 28, 2020.

Johnson won a first term on the Toledo City Council in the general election on November 7, 2017. Although municipal positions in Toledo are officially nonpartisan, Johnson was affiliated with the Democratic Party. Click here to read Johnson's response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.

On July 27, 2020, Johnson voluntarily suspended his position on the Toledo City Council pending a federal investigation. Click here to learn more.

Biography

Johnson has been a small business owner since 2005.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Lucas County, Ohio (2020)

General election

General election for Lucas County Sheriff

Mike Navarre defeated Brett Warner and Earl Mack in the general election for Lucas County Sheriff on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Navarre (D)	52.1	101,689
		Brett Warner (R)	31.6	61,578
		Earl Mack (Independent)	16.3	31,846

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 195,113
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lucas County Sheriff

Mike Navarre defeated Gary Johnson, Ronald Collins II, and Maurice Morris in the Democratic primary for Lucas County Sheriff on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Navarre	62.3	19,184
		Gary Johnson	18.1	5,562
	Submit photo	Ronald Collins II	12.0	3,697
	Submit photo	Maurice Morris	7.7	2,362

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,805
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lucas County Sheriff

Brett Warner advanced from the Republican primary for Lucas County Sheriff on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brett Warner	100.0	9,009

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,009
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Toledo, Ohio (2017)

The city of Toledo, Ohio, held elections for mayor and six seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on September 12, 2017. The filing deadline for this election was July 14, 2017. The following candidates ran in the general election for six at-large seats on the Toledo City Council.

Toledo City Council, At-large General Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sandy Spang Incumbent	12.12%	27,459
Rob Ludeman Incumbent	11.04%	25,004
Cecelia Adams Incumbent	9.72%	22,030
Gary Johnson	9.40%	21,296
Nick Komives	9.13%	20,689
Larry Sykes Incumbent	8.94%	20,246
Harvey Savage Jr.	8.23%	18,656
Sam Melden	8.13%	18,410
Kurt Young Incumbent	6.90%	15,637
Patricia Robinson	6.55%	14,847
Alfonso Narvaez	5.99%	13,566
Clyde Phillips Jr.	3.85%	8,722
Total Votes		226,562
Source: Lucas County, Ohio, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 7, 2017

The following candidates ran in the primary election for six at-large seats on the Toledo City Council.

Toledo City Council, At-large Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sandy Spang Incumbent	12.16%	12,679
Rob Ludeman Incumbent	10.75%	11,205
Larry Sykes Incumbent	10.55%	11,004
Cecelia Adams Incumbent	10.27%	10,704
Harvey Savage Jr.	8.81%	9,186
Gary Johnson	8.39%	8,745
Nick Komives	8.24%	8,595
Sam Melden	7.33%	7,646
Kurt Young Incumbent	6.30%	6,570
Patricia Robinson	5.75%	5,994
Alfonso Narvaez	5.03%	5,243
Clyde Phillips Jr.	3.60%	3,754
Thomas Names	2.83%	2,949
Total Votes		104,274
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Board of Elections," accessed September 12, 2017

Endorsements

Johnson's campaign website listed the following endorsements:

• Lucas County Democratic Party
• University of Toledo College Democrats
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 8
• United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local Union 351
• Latino Democratic Caucus

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gary Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Johnson participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	Making Toledo a small business friendly city.	”
—Gary Johnson (August 3, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Unemployment	7	Homelessness
2	Crime reduction/prevention	8	Civil rights
3	K-12 education	9	Government transparency
4	City services	10	Recreational opportunities
5	Housing	11	Environment
6	Public pensions/retirement funds	12	Transportation

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	Federal
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs	Community policing and diversity training.
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Streamlining the permit process for city services and construction.
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	Its ability to attract economic development from outside entities.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	Being so dependent on property levies.

Johnson provided the following additional comments with his survey responses:

“	Our streets need to be resurfaced, and our infrastructure needs to be replaced and updated.	”
—Gary Johnson (2017)

Additional themes

Johnson's campaign website listed the following themes for 2017:

“	IMPROVE CITY SERVICES WITHOUT RAISING TAXES Gary's idea, again based on his experience, is to encourage the growth of small business which will increase employment; thus generating more tax revenue without raising taxes. OVERCOME BUREAUCRATIC INERTIA Gary would like to make the entire permit process quicker and easier. The Economic Development and Inspection Departments must work together so that a new business owner is not confronted with unnecessary obstacles or delay. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE THE DOWNTOWN CORE Gary sees the under-utilized commercial districts near downtown - East Toledo, Old South End, Vistula and Uptown- as attractive areas that, with some city encouragement, could become lively and desirable commercial entities once again. This would expand the tax base without raising taxes. MAKING THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS MORE VIABLE AND ATTRACTIVE The easy answer is better streets, more and better parks, more police and fire protection. Gary would like to get LED lighting throughout the city's neighborhoods. Well-lit streets discourage crime. Gary would like to accelerate street paving by stopping the Administration from raiding the Capitol Improvement fund for everyday expenses. REGIONAL COOPERATION There are some issues that are best handled at a regional level. While it might be unpopular with some in Toledo, Gary feels that the city should work with the suburbs to establish a regional water authority. The alternative, if the city were to go it alone, would be greatly increased water rates in the future to maintain the antiquated system that now exists. DEALING WITH THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC Gary also thinks that the opioid epidemic, that confronts the region across all economic levels, is best handled on a regional basis with the Toledo Police, the Lucas County Sheriff, and the suburban police departments working together.	”
—Gary Johnson (2017)

Noteworthy events

Federal bribery and extortion charges

See also: Toledo City Council members arrested on federal bribery and extortion charges

On June 30, 2020, federal agents arrested Johnson and three other Toledo City Council members on charges of bribery and extortion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation accused the four officials of "soliciting and/or accepting cash, checks, money orders, or other things of value from local business owners in exchange for their votes on City Council." The arrests resulted from a two-year investigation into the city council that the FBI first opened in 2018. The FBI alleged that the bribe payments totaled $34,000 among the four council members, with Johnson allegedly having accepted $3,000. Johnson denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.

On July 21, a grand jury indicted Johnson, the other three city council members, and attorney Keith Mitchell on additional charges of extortion and conspiracy. On July 27, Johnson voluntarily suspended his position pending the investigation. The agreement came after Attorney General of Ohio Dave Yost (R) filed a request for suspension proceedings, saying, "Until allegations of public corruption are resolved in court, a suspension is the proper remedy to balance the accused’s right of a presumption of innocence with the public’s interest to have a functioning city council."

See also

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