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Politics

Familiar face fills Clearwater City Council opening

J.B. Johnson, who served on the Clearwater City Commission, will hold the seat of Hoyt Hamilton for roughly six meetings.

By MIKE DONILA
Published December 6, 2006

CLEARWATER - J.B. Johnson is in a very familiar spot.

Once again, the longtime Clearwater resident is on the City Council, this time after members appointed him Monday to fill Hoyt Hamilton's seat until after the March election.

"I'm very pleased to know that I've been appointed and will certainly serve with dignity," said Johnson, who's currently visiting his sister and some friends in Newnan, Ga.

Johnson, who turned 84 on Monday, also called the appointment "a nice birthday present."

The council selected Johnson from a pool of 15 candidates that included another former council member, a yacht broker, a public relations specialist, an interior designer and a behavior specialist, among others.

Johnson replaces Hamilton, who moved to the Atlanta area, and will hold the seat for roughly six council meetings.

"I will fill the seat of Hoyt Hamilton, but I won't be able to fill the place of Hoyt - I don't think anybody can do that," Johnson said. "I really don't have a specific agenda other than to serve with dignity and bring a semblance of character to the council."

Johnson initially served on the then-City Commission from 1995 to 2000. He also served as an interim member for five meetings in 2003, taking over for Whitney Gray. Additionally, he served on the city's planning and zoning board for six years and the city's development code adjustment board.

He's also a member of the city's Community Development Board, but he'll have to step down now that he's accepted a seat on the council.

"I think every single person who applied has the ability to do the job, but for me it's a narrowing down from good to better to best," Mayor Frank Hibbard said. "We tried to look at the different issues these folks will face in the next four months - what their experiences have been and their community involvement has been."

Johnson, generally described as a plainspoken and respected leader, retired in the mid 1980s as vice president of Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.

He received a business diploma at Oak Ridge Military Institute before spending three years in the Army Air Forces. He also played professional minor league baseball and was affiliated with the Detroit Tigers.

Johnson was nominated by council member John Doran and approved in a 3-1 vote, with council member Bill Jonson dissenting.

Jonson described Johnson as an "independent thinker" when he was on the council but said "I've seen less of that" from him while serving on the Community Development Board.

Jonson wanted a fresh face on the council.

As a council member for the next few months, Johnson will have the chance to make suggestions for next year's budget and help champion the proposed boat slip project and the third Penny for Pinellas sales tax, two initiatives that he said he supports. During that time, the council will also look into zoning amendments along part of the beach.

In other city news, qualifying for three council seats started Monday with incumbent Carlen Petersen, Norma Carlough and George Cretekos applying.

[Last modified December 6, 2006, 06:47:43]