Insurance agent Jeremy Johnson running for Longmont City Council seat – Longmont Times-Call

Jeremy Dejuan Johnson, an insurance agent who has lived in Longmont for eight years, is running for one of two city council seats up for election in November.

Johnson said in an email that he would be a “strong voice for the citizens of Longmont”.

He said he felt that from his day-to-day interactions with residents through his business, people “don’t feel that their issues or concerns are being heard or even presented to management. I will behave as if all problems brought to my attention by people or business owners are my personal problems and I will strive to find the right solution to their needs.

Johnson said one of his priorities as a board member would be “transparent operations” within city government, “letting the public know where taxpayer money is being spent” and “what grants, state aid or federal can be used in the city of Longmont to offset certain costs that generate more taxes.

Another priority would be to “work with small business owners so that they can continue to be the most important part of the continued growth of Longmont’s economy.” He said it’s important to remember that “growth is good, but not all growth is important enough to pick successful businesses or force families out of their comfort zones.”

He said: “I would love to visit all of the first responders” and their leaders “to gather ideas and resources to support them in all the professional and personal issues they face in our situations here at Longmont.”

Johnson, a resident of Armstrong Drive, said he is a US Army veteran who served in Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom. His community activities, he said, were coaching basketball at Niwot High School. He said he was a member of Life Bridge Christian Church and Fox Hill Country Club. He said it was his first candidacy for an elected government post.

Three other candidates have announced they are running for one of two Longmont City Council seats up for election this year: Tallis Salamatian, Entrepreneur and Business and Financial Advisor, Shiquita Yarbrough, Director of Community Engagement and Equity of YWCA of Boulder County. , and outgoing city councilor Aren Rodriguez, a real estate appraiser seeking re-election for a second four-year term.

Polly Christensen, one of the current members of the General Council, is on a limited term and was unable to be re-elected. The top two voters on Longmont’s ballots in this year’s all-around will win both general seats.

The post of mayor of Longmont and his seat on the Council of Ward 2 are also in contention this year.

Mayor Brian Bagley is not seeking re-election. So far, three people have filed affidavits with the City Clerk’s office indicating they are running for mayor – current Ward 1 Councilor Tim Waters, current General Councilor Joan Peck and the Linden resident Street Greg Harris.

Outgoing Ward 2 Councilor Marcia Martin is seeking re-election and is so far the only candidate for this seat.

The seats of the General Council now occupied by Peck and Susie Hidalgo-Fahring and the seat of Ward 1 now occupied by Waters are not up for election this year. If Peck or Waters won the mayoral contest in November, a special election would be held to fill the council seat that person is leaving.

To be on the November ballot, candidates must circulate nomination petitions. They can start doing this on August 3 and must have completed collecting signatures and submitting these petitions by 5 p.m. on August 23. Nomination petitions must contain the appropriate number of signatures for the particular seat and be signed by residents of Longmont who are registered to vote. . For the mandates of mayor and municipal councilor, at least 50 signatures are required. For the Ward 2 headquarters, at least 25 signatures are required.