As commissioner, district needs still a priority for Johnson
As commissioner, district needs still a priority for Johnson
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By Bryan Dean
Published: October 2, 2007
Willa Johnson can't sit down for a plate of food at her favorite barbecue restaurant without being approached half a dozen times for a hug and congratulations from friends and well-wishers.
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District 1 roots
Johnson said there is a good reason so many people in District 1 stop her to say hi. She knows most of them and most of their parents.
She studied with them at Douglass High School and just attended her 50th high school reunion. She goes to church with them at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church, 5700 N Kelley.
As a 65-year member, Johnson calls herself a "St. John's brat,” a term many of the longtime church members use for themselves.
Johnson said her deep roots at the church and from Douglass High School give her an understanding about many of the people she represents.
She considers her role in passing MAPS for Kids, which resulted in a new Douglass High School, one of her proudest accomplishments as a member of the city council.
"This school means a lot to me,” Johnson said. "It's really been a big part of who I am. Nobody wants anything old and ragged. The old school had lots of deficiencies and there was no way for the kids to be real proud about going to the school.”
Johnson knows how the students at the new school feel — she was one of the first to attend a new Douglass that opened in the 1950s.
"I think this school is going to improve the kids' whole outlook on life,” Johnson said. "It's the same kind of pride we had way back in the day.”
Learning curve
Although she feels comfortable representing District 1, Johnson said she has a definite learning curve in county government.
City council members work only part time and let staff handle day-to-day tasks and concentrate on policy decisions. County commissioners are full-time administrators who handle tasks like road building and managing the staff in various county departments.
Johnson, who took office Sept. 17, said she has taken a tour of the district with her road superintendent and is impressed with the work county road crews are doing.
She is counting on her chief deputy, Joe Blough, to help her make the transition from city to county government. Blough was a second deputy for Johnson's predecessor, Jim Roth, who resigned earlier this year when Gov. Brad Henry appointed him to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
Johnson said she called Blough before she won the election and made it clear she wanted to keep him on the staff if he would stay.
"I wanted to keep Joe for his historical perspective, as well as the fact that he has worked as second deputy and he was trained well,” Johnson said. "It's critical because you don't want to re-invent the wheel. We don't have the time or money for that.”
‘Not Jim Roth'
Johnson is complimentary of Roth and much of the work he did for the county. She wants to continue many of the practices he put in place.
Roth worked as a member of the staff for District 1 and the Oklahoma County clerk's office before running for commissioner. Johnson said she's jealous of the institutional knowledge he brought to the job.
"Jim worked for the county for 12 years, and he had an education on county government that probably nobody ever had before,” Johnson said. "There are some big shoes to fill.”
But Johnson points to her own strengths, her knowledge of different levels of government and her experience working with other communities as an officer of the Association for Central Oklahoma Governments. She said she plans to put her own personality into the office.
She's already begun developing an employee recognition program. She's also met with all her employees to assure them their jobs are safe.
"Little things like morale issues I think can be immediately dealt with,” Johnson said.
Beyond little things, Johnson said she will work hard on issues such as coordinating road building efforts with the municipalities in her district and trying to eliminate duplication of services.
Though Roth was popular with many of his peers in city and county government, Johnson said she believes people will like her too once they see her in action.
"It seems like everybody liked Jim Roth,” Johnson said. "I certainly like Jim Roth. But I'm not Jim Roth.”
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