Brandon J. Johnson, candidate for City Council District 1 in Wichita, KS
Name: Brandon J. Johnson
Age: 35
Occupation: District 1 Council Member
Previous government service: Incumbent
Have you run for office before? (Please list any previous offices sought)
2014 - Democratic Precinct Committeeman, 2017 - District City Council Member
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it?
Food Deserts, I will continue seeking every possible opportunity to convene stakeholders and the private sector to find solutions. This is a complex issue that will require multiple approaches to bring more access to quality food to our community.
Quality of Life, Quality of life is more than just the awesome “to-do’s” of attraction hubs, it is also how one feels about their neighborhoods. I will continue supporting efforts to make Wichita more walkable and bikeable as well as our neighborhood aesthetic which includes parks, roads, and resources hubs like libraries or resource centers.
Transportation, I will continue to work with my colleagues and Transit Director, Mike Tann, on ways to expand and improve transit services for our city. Short term, I support adding a second shift to transit and building a plan to create grid systems throughout our city as hybrid spoke and hub/ grid system to shorten ride times and improve the experience.
What to do with the area’s homeless population has been a major issue recently. After they were pushed out of Naftzger Park, they migrated north a few blocks and set up camp around Open Door and the Lord’s Diner. Now, key sidewalks in that area have been striped off as no-sitting zones and warnings have been issued that the homeless people’s impromptu shelters and other possessions will be subject to seizure. Do you support these policies and why or why not?
The ongoing issues surrounding our homeless community is going to truly take all stakeholders coming to the table to work toward a solution that recognizes the humanity in those unhoused and gets them the assistance they need to be successful. We are taking a number of right steps, but we need to work more with the County on more impactful holistic steps we can take. Many of the documented actions downtown stem from a lack of collaboration from one or more stakeholders to fully address the ongoing concerns.
The city has ongoing project plans to reconfigure many four-lane streets, including main thoroughfares such as Broadway and Douglas, to one car-traffic lane running in each direction with a center turn lane. Do you support this plan and why or why not?
I support the efforts by our active Bike Ped citizens to make our community more walk and bike friendly which has the potential to encourage more active lifestyles for current and future Wichitans. In addition to potential lifestyle benefits, these changes will increase foot traffic along these arterials that can support small business and make alternate modes of transportation much safer. Over the past few years, with exception to 2020, we have engaged our community extensively on changes to Douglas and Broadway which has resulted in great deal of positive feedback received.
Campaign website:
http://www.johnsonforwichita.com
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