After eight years as Midway mayor, Celeste Johnson has set her sights on state government. She’s entered the race for Utah House District 59, which includes Wasatch County and Park City.
She said running as a Democrat in Utah might be an uphill journey, but she believes she can be a strong advocate for many of the issues Wasatch Back residents care about, like open space preservation and transportation challenges.
“My agenda is really about the community,” she said. “Politics aside, what can we do? Because we don’t want the state legislature that is so predominantly builders and developers calling all the shots – we want to be able to have more voices at the table.”
She said she also cares deeply about finding common ground across political differences.
Johnson said her experiences in Midway government have made her a collaborative, resident-focused leader.
She has worked with other government leaders across the Wasatch Back and said she’s looking forward to learning more about the concerns of constituents all over the district.
“I do have a good understanding of how the Wasatch Back is different from the Wasatch Front, and I don’t want legislation to continue to be passed that, while it may help the Wasatch Front, isn’t going to help the Wasatch Back,” she said.
Johnson, who spent her career in marketing and sales before venturing into government, said those skills will help her keep voters informed about what’s happening at the statehouse.
“This will be my only job,” she said. “I will be able to do deep dives into legislation, and I will be passionate about making sure that the district is kept informed of what’s coming out of committee, what’s being voted on on the floor, and to make sure that folks know who to contact to express their opinion about what that legislation looks like.”
Johnson is one of four candidates in the race for the seat currently held by Rep. Mike Kohler.
The other candidates are Democrat Micah Kagan and Republicans Mark Allen and Luke Searle.
