Steve Johnson (born April 21, 1960) is an American former politician. He was a

county commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denver. ...

, and a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Colorado Senate The Colorado Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123, ...

. From 2003 to 2009, Johnson represented the 15th Senate district, encompassing rural

Larimer County Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denver. ...

and the cities of Loveland and

Estes Park Estes Park is a statutory town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,904 at the 2020 United States Census. Estes Park is a part of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corr ...

. Previously he was a member of the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...

from 1997 through 2002.

Biography

Johnson holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a D.V.M. from

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

, Johnson worked as a veterinarian in

Loveland, Colorado The City of Loveland is the home rule municipality that is the second most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver and is the 14th most populous city ...

, and currently works as a county supervisor for Larimer County. He has taught science at Heritage Christian High School. Johnson is married and has no children. Johnson was a member of the Larimer County Planning Commission from 1987 to 1996, and was first elected to the State House in 1996. In 2002, he was elected to the State Senate over Democrat Kathy Gilliland, and was re-elected in 2006, defeating Democrat Jennifer Miller. In the 2007-2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Johnson sat on the powerful Joint Budget Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. A moderate Republican, Johnson was the State Senate sponsor for Referendum C, a statewide measure to remove

TABOR Tabor may refer to: Places Czech Republic * Tábor, a town in the South Bohemian Region ** Tábor District, the surrounding district * Tábor, a village and part of Velké Heraltice in the Moravian-Silesian Region Israel * Mount Tabor, Galilee ...

restrictions on the state budget; his sponsorship put him at odd with other fiscally conservative Republicans. In addition to his work on the six-member Joint Budget Committee preparing the state budget, Johnson has expressed priorities of expanding funding to higher education and re-opening the state drivers' license office in Loveland./ The office reopened on May 16, 2008. In June 2007, Johnson — otherwise healthy and athletic, having recently taken second place in a legislative fitness challenge — suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. That same summer, Johnson taught an

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

class at Colorado State University. Since then, Johnson has placed a renewed emphasis on affordable

healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

, calling it a "moral issue" for the Republican Party. In January 2008, Johnson, facing the end of his senate tenure in 2010, announced his candidacy for a seat on the

Board of Commissioners.The Coloradoan - www.coloradoan.com - Ft. Collins, CO
/ref> He was elected in 2008, in 2012 without opposition, and again in 2016. In 2015, Johnson was named Colorado Commissioner of the Year by the state-wide County Commissioner organization, Colorado Counties, Inc. He retired from politics in 2021.

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Senator Steve Johnson (CO)
profile
Rocky Mountain News - Steve Johnson
candidate profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Steve 1960 births Living people Colorado state senators County commissioners in Colorado Members of the Colorado House of Representatives Politicians from Columbus, Ohio