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Jeff A. Johnson

Summerfield Town Council candidate

Occupation: Vice President – Centralized Call Management, American Express Company

Age: 42

Education: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering – North Carolina State University

Address: 6106 Bascom Drive, Summerfield, NC 27358

Web site/blog/email address: www.jeffajohnson.net

Previous elective experience: None

Other relevant experience: Helped create the United Way Call 211 information and referral service in North Carolina.Currently serving on the Guilford County Schools Strategic Plan Advisory Council, Greensboro Beautiful Advisory Board and the Summerfield Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee

Why have you chosen to run for this office? My intent to run for public office is strictly driven by my strong passion to see the characteristics that attracted my family and me to Summerfield do not change. If elected, I will work very hard to listen to everyone and do my absolute best to make decisions that I think will best represent the desires of the entire community.

Key qualifications you would bring to the job: An industrial engineer with a strong technical background and diverse executive level leadership experience in the financial services industry, 18 years of experience in contact center management, workforce planning, workplace flexibility, strategic project management, and process improvement.

Family: Married to Suzan Johnson for 18 years. Two daughters – Lauren, 15 and Rachel, 12.

What distinguishes you most from your opponents? Given that I am in the midst of raising my own family, I understand the challenges of working families in Summerfield.

Please list the top three issues in Summerfield and your stances on those issues:

1. Need more conservative fiscal policies to allow for low to no town property tax
2. Need full representation of the entire community, not just a vocal minority
3. Need controlled and appropriate growth while maintaining the rural character of Summerfield

If you were to give Summerfield a letter grade on its effectiveness in managing growth, what would it be? C, council rezoning decisions often do not take into account the continuity of the surrounding area. For example approving highway business use commercial development within, across from, and adjacent to people’s homes and neighborhoods.

What vote or decision of the current council would you overturn? Why do you disagree with the decision? In light of the fact that Summerfield was not selected to receive a $500,000 PARTF grant from North Carolina, I feel the vote to move forward with Phase 2 of the Summerfield Athletic Park was done in haste and without fully exploring other alternatives or understanding the true cost of the project.

In short, I support ball fields for the kids. However, I think we need more sensible and fiscally responsible park policies that leave the more extravagant features of the project to be completed with private donations and not with your tax money and/or the town’s financial reserves.