North Liberty City Council: Jay Johnson

Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself. I'm Jay Johnson and I'm running for city council. I moved to the Corridor with my wife and two children in September of 2014. The citizens of North Liberty should be very proud of the council members that have served in previous terms for their outstanding efforts in making North Liberty a premier city, not only in Eastern Iowa, but in the Midwest.

I have had great success building and expanding relationships throughout my career. I have excellent leadership qualities and I have been an effective team builder in my numerous sales management roles by motivating others and creating trust. At the end of the day, a leader is only as strong as the team they lead and I've been fortunate to work with some great teams.

I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa and I've held sales positions since I graduated college. I'm currently the Vice President of Sales for a food service distribution company in Cedar Rapids. My work experiences have allowed me to create long term strategic plans, as well as annual budgets. Our annual operating plan is built by collaborating with senior leadership specifically to meet or exceed our budget expectation, as well as build toward our long term plan. Currently, I also serve as a board member on the North Liberty Community Pantry.

My goals as a council member are very simple. I want to work with a team of individuals that share the same intent that I do … making North Liberty a better place to live for myself, my family, and others. I enjoy listening to others and working with others to create solutions that can be beneficial to all.

I believe North Liberty needs to limit the amount of apartment-style housing and encourage more single family homes. Business attraction, expansion, and retention should be of the utmost priority over the next several years for continued growth. Also, we should focus on improving infrastructure to meet the demands of our growing population.

North Liberty is facing some incredible opportunities in the coming years. Some may call them issues, but as a growing community, each of these issues needs to be looked at as an opportunity. The decisions made now will impact not only citizens of today, but also those who choose to make North Liberty their home for years to come.

' More information: johnson.jay1981@gmail.com; Facebook: Jay Johnson for North Liberty City Council