After serving in a variety of military, business and community leadership roles, Fitz Johnson is seeking the District 2 vacancy on the Cobb Board of Commissioners as an extension of a question he says he’s asked many times in those other capacities:
“What can I do to help?” said Johnson, a Vinings resident, in an interview with East Cobb News.
“This job is the best way for me to get involved. The time is right.”
He’s one of three Republicans vying to succeed retiring three-term Commissioner Bob Ott in the June 9 primary.
The others are Kevin Nicholas (profile here) and Andy Smith (profile here).
(Here’s Johnson’s campaign website).
This isn’t Johnson’s first campaign for office; in 2014 he unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for Georgia school superintendent.
The retired U.S. Army officer, retired entrepreneur and former pro sports team owner (the Atlanta Beat women’s soccer team) said that he has the time and passion to represent a diverse District 2 that includes most of East Cobb and the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area.
“I have a passion for working with citizens and helping to make the county better,” Johnson said.
Since he began his campaign, he’s heard a lot from citizens about a wide range of topics, including East Cobb Cityhood, which he opposes.
“I’m not in favor of it,” Johnson said. “It would add another layer of government. I’m a fiscal conservative who believes in keeping taxes low.”
That mantra figures to be challenged in the coming months and years as Cobb County, like many other state and local governments, begins to address the financial fallout from the COVID-19 crisis.
Johnson said he recently tested positive for the virus and sought emergency room treatment and has been recovering for a few weeks. “It really takes you down,” he said.
He said his experience working with complex business budgets and employing a long-term perspective would be assets on the five-member commission.
Commissioners will soon be meeting to discuss how the county might use $132 million in federal stimulus funding, but that’s just the beginning of a long way out of what figures to be a fiscal challenge greater than the recession.
“Now more than ever, we need a commissioner who understands budgets and finance,” Johnson said. “And not just now, but the next 5-7 years. That’s what we’re going to be looking at.
“Now is not the time to panic, but we have to take care of our citizens.”
Johnson said he does not support increasing the property tax millage rate to fill budget gaps.
He also thinks the county can continue to implement a step-and-grade compensation system for public safety employees that took effect in March.
“It still can be done, we have to do that,” he said. “That’s going to cost us more money if we don’t.”
But the post-virus financial scenario also figures to be a factor in how that issue is addressed.
“We can’t see into the future but we can look at what we think is going to happen,” he said, suggesting that some modeling might be done based on what the county did during the recession.
Another major issue throughout District 2 is zoning and development, and Johnson said as commissioner he would adhere to the Cobb Future Land Use Plan.
During Ott’s time in office, he has overseen four master plans, including one in Vinings near Johnson’s home that favors preserving what’s already there.
“We need to continue to have the community put together what they want,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he supports the county’s Special Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), but said we’re going to have to do better. We have to make sure the oversight is there.”
Johnson and his wife Suzann have three children and four grandchildren.
His other community activities include serving on the Kennesaw State University Board of Trustees, the Cobb Hospital Authority and the Wellstar Health System Board of Trustees.
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