William A. Johnson, Jr.
| William A. Johnson Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 64th Mayor of Rochester | |
|
In office January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Robert Duffy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 22, 1942 Lynchburg, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Howard University |
William A. Johnson Jr. is an American politician who served as the 64th Mayor of the City of Rochester, New York. He was first elected in November 1993, receiving over 72 percent of the vote. It was his first run for any political office, and he succeeded a 20-year incumbent. Johnson was the city’s first African-American mayor.
In November 1997, Johnson was re-elected without opposition in either the primary or general elections. In November 2001, he was re-elected to a third term with over 78 percent of the vote. Johnson announced during that campaign that he would not seek a fourth term.
Prior to his election as mayor, Johnson served for 21 years as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Rochester, responsible for developing and overseeing programs and project in education, youth development, family services, employment training, and affordable housing.
Johnson is a political scientist by training, earning B.A. and M.A. degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1965 and 1967, respectively. He was honored by his alma mater in March 2003 with an Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement. Johnson is a native of Lynchburg, Virginia.
In 1999, Johnson was named the United State’s Local Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine. In 2004, he was a finalist for the World Mayor Prize.
At the center of Johnson’s efforts to revitalize Rochester was the Neighbors Building Neighborhoods Program, or NBN, which introduced the principles of meaningful citizen participation and empowerment to every city neighborhood. NBN has been called “arguably the boldest and most successful citizen empowerment process in modern America.”
A 2006 analysis of NBN by Cornell University found that "numerous milestones have been achieved. Through NBN, hundreds of neighborhood projects have come to fruition, while many others have broken ground. These projects include physical improvement, beautification projects, the construction of new schools and stores, better public services, and increased public safety measures. NBN also received awards for its successful neighborhood revitalization efforts, and is recognized as a model of best practices."
Johnson retired as Mayor in 2005 and became Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
...
Wikipedia