Ruth S. Johnson

Blanding City Council
Ruth Smith Johnson, who am I?  Wife of Norman Lyle Johnson, mother of Cheyenne, Don, Dallas, Natani, Tamia, & Sastia, grandmother of 21, and great-grandmother of 4.  Daughter of Don Ellis & Guen Lyman Smith (always involved with Blanding Civic Affairs), granddaughter of Joe & Pauline Smith and Albert & Lell Lyman who were the first settlers of Grayson (Blanding).  With the confidence of a friend and my children, I decided to be their second grandchild to run for Blanding City Council.  Perhaps it’s time for me to offer my services to the people of this ‘most wonderful place on earth’!  I come with an eagerness to continue the betterment of this place we affectionately call home; an open-mind, listening ear, and optimistic attitude.
My passion? Water!  More precious than gold, water has always been of great interest to me.  We live in a desert, but through tremendous effort and hardship, a tunnel was built through the mountain to give Blanding its ‘life blood’.  When Norm was City Manager, he bought up water shares for the future benefit of Blanding.  My dad wanted so badly for Dry Wash to be enlarged before he died and Norm shared that dream.  So he, along with other movers and shakers, have made that a reality!
Other interests? Wouldn’t it be nice to figure out what to do with all the vacant buildings on Main Street and make it as appealing as it once was?  Let us continue to invest in the Visitor’s Center, tourist development, college, recreation programs, etc.  We have so much, let’s treasure it!
Who am I?  I am me, my own person, who has loved Blanding my entire life.  It would be an honor to serve on City Council.