Donna Johnson (mayor)

Donna Johnson is an American politician. In 2021, she became the first Black woman elected mayor of Libertyville, Illinois.[1]

Donna Johnson
Mayor of Libertyville, Illinois
Assumed office
May 4, 2021
Preceded byTerry Weppler
Libertyville Board of Trustees
In office
2007–2021

Early life and education

Johnson is the daughter of Carol and Donald Tyler Johnson.[2] Her mother was the Chair of the Civil Service Commission and Human Relations Commission in Evanston, Illinois; her father graduated from the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering but according to Johnson, was unable to find work as a chemical engineer due to segregation.[2] Her father worked for the Chicago Fire Department, eventually becoming a battalion chief.[2]

Johnson moved with her family from Evanston to Libertyville in 1979.[3][4] She completed a BA in political science from Michigan State University[5] and a JD degree.[6]

Career

Johnson worked as prosecutor in Cook County and Lake County before taking a position at Allstate as a corporate attorney.[2][7][8] She served for nine years on the Libertyville Plan Commission board of appeals before running for office, and worked to develop the business presence in downtown Libertyville.[3][7] In 2007, she was elected to the Libertyville Board of Trustees.[7] Her work as a trustee included serving as the chair of the Streets Committee.[8] In 2018, while serving as a member of the Board of Trustees, she advocated for a pay increase for elected officials to help increase the number of qualified candidates for office.[9] As of 2020, Johnson was also serving as Chair of the Advocate Condell Medical Center Governing Board.[8][4]

After serving 14 years as a trustee, she was recruited by the current mayor Terry Weppler and others to run for mayor.[3][2] She ran unopposed and was elected mayor following the election on April 6, 2021.[10] She was sworn in on May 4, 2021.[2][4] She is the first Black mayor in the city's 185-year history. Libertyville has a Black population of 1%, according to the United States Census Bureau, and she is the second woman and first person of color to serve as mayor.[3][11]

After taking office, Johnson announced her priorities as including a balanced budget, the development of the downtown business district, and the promotion of small businesses.[12] During her tenure, a local cannabis sales tax was enacted for Libertyville,[13] and $170,000 was awarded to local businesses through the Libertyville High Five Grant program.[14] In March 2022, she announced the sale of the Libertyville indoor sports complex to the Canadian firm Canlan Sports for $3.13 million; the village had been trying to sell the complex for years due to high debt payments.[15]

Personal life

Johnson is a member of the Proclaimer Ministry of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and has described her faith as being an "integral part of her life."[4][8] She has two children.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Libertyville Elects First Black Woman As Mayor In Village History". CBS Chicago. May 2021. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  2. Le Mignot, Suzanne (May 23, 2021). "An Interview With Donna Johnson, Libertyville's First Black Woman Mayor". CBS Chicago.
  3. Zawislak, Mick (May 7, 2021). "Johnson takes the helm in a year of change on the Libertyville village board". Daily Herald. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  4. Acharya, Pavan (May 25, 2021). "Meet Libertyville's New Mayor, Donna Johnson". Drops of Ink.
  5. "Donna Johnson: Candidate Profile". Daily Herald. February 23, 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  6. "Donna Johnson: Candidate Profile". Daily Herald. March 10, 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  7. Kambic, Rick (March 20, 2019). "What you need to know to decide the 4-way race for 3 Libertyville trustee seats". Libertyville Review. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 21 March 2022 – via Chicago Tribune.
  8. "Libertyville candidates pull petitions for upcoming board races". Libertyville Review. Pioneer Press. October 22, 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2022 – via Chicago Tribune.
  9. Kambic, Rick (October 11, 2018). "Wanting more than 'old white men' in office, Libertyville plans to increase mayor and trustee pay". Libertyville Review. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 21 March 2022 – via Chicago Tribune.
  10. Norman, James T. (April 20, 2021). "Libertyville to welcome new mayor, 3 new trustees on Village Board following election". The Chicago Tribune.
  11. "B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE - Libertyville - 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  12. Norman, James T. (December 28, 2021). "2021 in Review: Libertyville elects new mayor and Village Board, sees students return to in-person learning full-time, adopts fee to deal with flooding preparedness". The Chicago Tribune.
  13. Norman, James T. (August 20, 2021). "Libertyville trustees approve cannabis sales tax in effort 'to be good financial stewards'". Libertyville Review. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 21 March 2022 – via Chicago Tribune.
  14. Norman, James T. (February 4, 2022). "Libertyville wraps up business grant program after awarding $170,000 to businesses in town; 'Overall it was a tremendous success'". Libertyville Review. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 21 March 2022 – via Chicago Tribune.
  15. Zawislak, Mick (March 1, 2023). "'It's a big win for us': Sale of Libertyville's indoor sports complex to Canadian firm now final". Daily Herald.
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