LFP Mayor: Sharing information and perspective with citizens

Mayor Jeff Johnson
Lake Forest Park

By Jeff Johnson, Mayor of Lake Forest Park

During my mayoral campaign, we focused on how “Lake Forest Park is great city.” One appreciates just how true that is when they are elected Mayor.

This is my first term as Mayor, and I’m amazed at how much there is to learn about our City. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by an amazing staff of people who care so much about serving the people of LFP.

As I consider how to serve our citizens and what I can contribute to making this the best City possible, I realize that sharing information and perspective with our citizens is one of the most important things I can do. That’s what this column will be about.

The start of 2016 has been busy for Lake Forest Park. We’re putting the finishing touches on a massive culvert improvement project that involved rebuilding bridges, rerouting streams, adding sidewalks, and drastically diverting traffic; all of which will improve people’s ability to move about the city.

The project turned out to be a huge success, and there are a few thank you’s due. First, to Mayor Goss and the Council, I want to recognize their vision and perseverance to get this accomplished. As a City, we will look back on this project as a turning point for LFP.

I also want to thank the citizens of Lake Forest Park (especially those who lived along the affected streets), as well as our neighboring cities, for their incredible patience during the construction. As Mayor, and as a Council member before, I’ve heard a lot of comments on this project, and I was impressed with how upbeat everyone remained during the work. Thank you all!

While residents experienced some inconvenience, some of our local businesses were also negatively affected – most notably Swirl and Subway who, for months, were hidden down a long hallway of fences behind large construction equipment. Please include them both in your list of area businesses to visit.

With regard to area businesses, I’d like to welcome MOD Pizza to LFP. They’re doing a fantastic job integrating into our community. In fact, this Monday, March 7th, they’re going to give 20% of proceeds to local nonprofit, Shoreline Sports Foundation, an LFP-based organization.

Finally, I wanted to congratulate the Shorecrest Boys and Girls basketball teams on their trip to the State Tournament. Hope you can bring home some trophies.

There are many great things happening in our community, and I’m excited to be a part of it. I will keep you posted about all the amazing things happening right here in your neighborhood. Looking forward to chatting again soon.