Walla Walla County Commissioner, Position 1

WALLA WALLA -- Jim Johnson is finishing his first full term as commissioner, representing Walla Walla County's District 1. He was appointed to the position in May, 2012, to finish out the final eight months of the previous term. He was elected, as a Republican, for the current term in November of that year.

Johnson is a CPA who owned his own firm for more than 30 years. He retired in 2012. He is a graduate of Seattle University and is married, with four children and seven grandchildren.

"I have been deeply involved in the community for 42 years, having served on many boards and committees," he said in a statement for The Times. "I have coached, officiated and participated administratively in local youth sports organizations. I believe the combination of my longstanding commitment to the community as well as my background in accounting and finance and my non-partisan approach to the position of County Commissioner make me uniquely qualified to continue representing the citizens of Walla Walla County on the Board of County Commissioners."

Johnson outlined three important issues that he feels will face the commission in the coming four years:

Homelessness, Mental Health & Chemical Dependency: "Through the efforts of our Community Health Department we will continue to work with our community social service partners to seek out ways to help these vulnerable populations. With tightening state budgets, much of the work and effort in this area is being undertaken by partnering government and non-profits to continue to develop strategies to eliminate chronic homelessness and diagnose and treat the mentally ill, as well as providing treatment programs for those who find themselves in the grip of chemical dependency and alcohol abuse."

Shrinking Revenues & Increasing Expenses: "As state budget woes continue, we find that funding for mandated services continues to shrink. When the state cuts back on funding for these mandated services they often give counties the ability to pass local option sales taxes to fill the gaps. And, while commissioners have instituted some of these in recent years such as the '.3 Public Safety' and '.1 Mental Health' sales taxes, we cannot continue to fund essential services and functions with additional taxes that create undue burdens on our taxpayers and place our businesses at a competitive disadvantage. It will become increasingly important for commissioners and other elected officials to come up with creative and innovative ways to provide services in the future as efficiently as possible."

Economic Development & Job Creation: "While the county is not the primary economic development organization in the county (that mission belongs to the Port of Walla Walla) we need to continue being cooperative partners by making sure we are not getting in the way of quality, appropriate economic development and growth. We need to make sure our zoning and permitting processes are efficient, user friendly and appropriate, making for an environment that's inviting to potential employers who seek to bring needed development and jobs to our region."