Mayor Ken Johnston: Reflections on pragmatism, peace, gratitude
After 12 years in public service, Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston announced in January he wouldn’t be standing for re-election this fall. Despite his love for the role of mayor, Johnston said he is at peace with his decision. Photo: Ken Johnston
Back on Jan. 22, Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston gathered a group of people together to announce he wouldn’t be standing for re-election this fall. And while he no doubt surprised some people, he laid out a good number of reasons why now was the perfect time to say goodbye to city hall.
Johnston was elected city councillor in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017 before being elected mayor in 2021. Prior to his 12 years in public service, he had a 40-year career in the banking sector.
Pragmatism, Peace, and Gratitude
Johnston said he made the announcement so early because he wanted to give plenty of time for those considering a run at his chair to make the decisions they needed to make. As for the reason for stepping away, Johnston said it can be summed up in three words: pragmatism, peace, and gratitude.
The pragmatism stems from the realization that nobody lives forever. If he has another decade to live, or another 10 months, he wanted to do something he could put his own personal signature on. And, of course, there is the whole point of making sure he gave the public enough notice around his plans.
On the peace side, Johnston said he realized he was at peace with what he wanted to accomplish as mayor. In fact, he was going to retire in 2021, but he decided there were some things he just had to get done. These included bringing together more partners with the city. Whether that was the business community, the province, or the community itself, Johnston said he wanted to build partnerships in a far more relational and creative way.
And then, there was the gratitude aspect of his decision. In its simplest form, Johnston said he feels incredible pride in the relationship he has with the community. In many ways, he considers it the best part of the job.
“Something I’ll have for the rest of my life is having that much trust from the public that you can see it in their face,” Johnston said. “I thought, while they’re still grateful for the mayor and the mayor is still grateful for them, I think I’ll make the decision. I’ll be honest, I really am looking forward to a third chapter in life. I’m not quite sure how I’ll define that, but I’m really looking forward it.”
Career Introspection
When he gets a little introspective about his political career, Johnston said there are many things he takes pride in. One is a project Johnston said is “a very personal issue”: the construction of a new hospital in the city. The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre redevelopment was a $2-billion project that Johnston said meant a lot to him personally as his first wife died of a heart attack.
Another thing Johnston is quick to spotlight stems from something he took ownership of from the beginning of his mayoral career. When he ran in 2021, Johnston said he heard from many minority voices in the community – the African community, the Filipino community, the Indigenous community – who felt they were invisible to the municipality.
Johnston said building a stronger Red Deer meant it must be stronger for everyone.
“I was really devoted to moving the multicultural aspect of Red Deer and really demonstrating that we’re far richer with inclusion than we are with exclusion,” he said. “And I don’t even mean overt exclusion – exclusion can be in many ways. So I was very happy about changing that.”
What Makes a Good Mayor?
Johnston said he revealed he was stepping away in January to give people time to think about running for the seat. But what qualities does a candidate need to have to make such a decision? Well, Johnston has his own ideas.
Johnston said there are the practical and professional skills that one needs. It helps to have have a broad understanding of finance, municipal growth, and economic development. It also certainly helps to have a broad understanding of the forces that exist in your community – the main industries, what affects them, and where the province is at in terms of municipal issues.
But it is the so-called softer skills that he tends to emphasize to people who come to him for advice.
To be clear, Johnston doesn’t call them soft skills because they are any less important. The relational skills a mayor needs today are immensely important. This includes what Johnston calls being “relationally mature” in terms of a command of where your own strengths and weaknesses are.
But the ability to bring people into consensus, not to mention a disposition to “coach people up,” including both council and the administration, is essential.
“I don’t think anybody should wake up in the morning and say, this is a great day to run for mayor. You really have to think about it,” Johnston said. “You have to really assess what you can bring to the community. It’s not a job for the faint of heart.”
State of Local Government
Johnston’s feelings about the pressures of the mayor’s office – or just being an elected official in general – also speak to his thoughts on the state of local government today.
Over the past dozen years in local government, Johnston said he has seen the political space – at least in an Alberta context – get more problematic. This is especially true considering Bill 20, which limits expenses for local election campaigns across the province and creates rules for local political parties.
Johnston questions why municipalities should be in a constant struggle around funding, around legislation, and around predictability of where the province (or the feds) might be going.
The province is piloting political parties in Calgary and Edmonton this October. But Johnston said his sense is that it will be a norm for Alberta cities, certainly ones the size of Red Deer, come 2029.
“We enjoy a great deal of independence. We don’t have a party whip. We don’t have a party platform. I’ve seen, over my 12 years, councillors that’ll disagree on one item will agree on the next item, and then they’ll disagree, which is really the way municipal government should work,” Johnston said. “There should be that freedom from just because the party says this, now you’re bound by it. There should be the freedom to not be in that place.”
Looking Toward the Future
Johnston said he feels good about his decision, not only personally but professionally as well. After all, come this fall, he won’t have to worry about knocking on doors and placing political signs.
Instead, he can focus the next seven or eight months on bringing clear thinking and positive energy to what is best for Red Deer.
Even so, Johnston acknowledges there are a lot of things about the job of mayor that he will miss. Of course, he could deliver a “Disney-ish answer” and say he will miss everything, but the reality is there are parts of the job he won’t miss at all.
Among the things he won’t miss is the emotion of a public hearing, of the push and pull of constantly realizing that he isn’t going to please everyone. That, of course, is the reality of politics. Still, it can be tough reality to face.
The list of things he won’t miss pales compared to the things that he will. But most of all, Johnston said, the thing he will miss the most is his daily interactions with people trying to make a difference in their community.
“I will miss that seeing the great enthusiasm and energy of citizens on a daily basis,” Johnston said. “I’ll miss the earthiness of people and their genuine fondness and connection to the city they live in. I’ll miss that. I’ll really miss that.” MW
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Sean Meyer is digital content editor for Municipal World.
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