Law student from C.R. to run for Linn supervisor

CEDAR RAPIDS - Eric Johnson, a law student in San Diego and native of Cedar Rapids, is running as a Democrat for Linn County supervisor in District 5.

Johnson, 27, of 5600 Sharon Lane NW, Cedar Rapids, graduated from Jefferson High School and earned a degree from Mount Mercy College.

Johnson and at least one other challenger will face Supervisor Jim Houser in the Democratic primary. Houser, a powerhouse with a solid base of support in southwest Cedar Rapids, has served on the board since 1990. District 5 includes large parts of west Cedar Rapids and the westernmost swath of Linn County from Fairfax to Walker.

The challenge of flood recovery requires diligence and cooperation, Johnson said, and he doesn't think the current Board of Supervisors is getting the job done.

“It is time for fresh and new ideas,” he said. “It's something I've had my mind set on for a time. Now seems like the right time.”

Johnson said as he follows Linn County government from afar, he finds that he sympathizes with some of what Republican Brent Oleson proposes, especially his desire for lower taxes and greater oversight of department budgets.

“I'm more independent, actually, but I affiliate with the Democrats,” he said. “I think that he's right on some of those issues.”

He disagrees with Oleson's campaign against the county spending $5,000 to help promote the U.S. Census.

The county should raise its profile, Johnson said, by improving the Web site. How money is spent should be easy to find online, he said.

“It seems like you really, really have to search,” he said.

Johnson is in his third year at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, and he plans to return to Iowa and sit for the Iowa bar exam in July. He is single.

Nomination papers are due at the Linn County Auditor's Office by March 31. County primaries will be June 8.