Key West Mayor Teri Johnston joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s been going on in the city.
After yesterday’s election, Johnston will no longer be mayor, as she decided not to run again.
She said, “That’s the nature of politics, that you serve the people, and then you move on and I certainly have had a wonderful 14 years in the city of Key West, eight as a city commissioner for District Five, and then six as the mayor of Key West. It’s been a pleasure. Some of some of the things that are most prominent in my mind, one of them really is our ability and access to the children of Key West. Every single year, Kelly Funkhouser and I would host a number of students from all of the different schools, from Montessori, from Glen Archer, from HoB, from every single one of the elementary grade schools. It was so much fun to be involved with the children, because they are, I tell you, if they’re any indication, we have a wonderful world coming in front of us, because they’re very engaged, they’re caring, they’re kind, they care about the Earth, and so it was just a really positive thing.”
It looks like there will be a runoff for District Six.
Johnston said, “In fact, the last numbers that I looked at last night, Marci Rose was 12 votes behind Aaron Castillo. So it was a very, very close race, and I’m sure that there will be a lot of campaigning that will go on between now and November to allow us to select the next District Six representative.”
A special call meeting may or may not happen to discuss the dismissal of city manager Al Childress.
Johnston said, “As far as I know, Vice Mayor Kaufman, seconded by Commissioner Hoover, called the meeting. So as far as I know, there will still be a special meeting to determine whether we bring back Al Childress or not. From the first year that that I worked with him, he has been an incredible, incredible city manager. I have never seen anybody with a work ethic. I’ve never seen anybody that communicates better. We were so well informed on every single issue that was happening in the city of Key West, both good and bad and Al, moved us along in one year like nobody that I have seen, and I have been through six city managers in my time here as a as a public official. So I have a point of comparison, and Al was head and shoulders above anybody else that we had in that role.”
What does Johnston look back on most fondly from her years of being mayor?
She said, “I think probably it is in everyone’s mind that we got through COVID, and we got through COVID by making some very difficult decisions for the city of Key West and our residents, and it really proved to be the correct move. Nobody had a playbook. Nobody had a handbook to go into COVID and we were all flying blind. But what I determined that we needed to do was the fact that we’re three hours away from a major medical center. We only had two respirators at the start of COVID in the city of Key West and we were an international destination for visitors. So we locked down. And as you remember, we locked down tight. The businesses closed up, but ultimately, which is what we had anticipated. We closed up first. We stayed healthy. We were also able to open up first, and subsequently, we had the best year that we have ever had economically in the city of Key West in our 200 year history. We are still continuing to improve on our 2019 numbers, which was our barometer up until COVID. So we’re still looking good from there. So it was a difficult time. I thank the city of Key West and all of our residents for making the tough sacrifices that we had to make to get through that pandemic. But we did it. We did it together. We came out together, and we all benefit. I just appreciate everyone’s efforts, because it was a it was a very difficult time for everyone.”
The cruise ship debate was also a rough time.
Johnston said, “It has been difficult since the 70s when the very first cruise ship came in. It’s been one of the most controversial dividing issues in our community, and it continues to be. Now we have two plus years under our belt where Pier B is bringing in the large ships and the Outer mole and Mallory Square are not. Mallory Square is welcoming in American Cruise Line, which has about 190 passengers on it. It’s a high end cruise line and the passengers are able to stay here overnight. They’ve been going to plays, restaurants, cigar rolling events, the Truman’s Little White House, and it’s a great group to add to our tourism mix. So it was a compromise, and it was a difficult compromise. Nobody got everything they wanted, and nobody walked away empty. So to me, that’s a success for the city of Key West and I hope that we can continue to build on that, because we have incredible plans for Mallory Square. If you’ve been to any of the workshops or any of the seminars that we have had, we are going to take that space that right now is being used less than three hours a day, and we are going to make it a world class destination for the city of Key West, for not only our residents, but also our visitors. That segues right into our Duvall Street revitalization. We are going to take care of the flooding on Duvall Street, on the on the 100, 200 and 300 blocks. We’re going to widen the sidewalks and improve the area. We’re going to make sure that it’s an iconic destination for our visitors and a wonderful experience for them. Is going to be an area where we can quickly close it down so it can be pedestrian only, or open it up so that we can have a Fantasy Fest parade down there. So it’s got lots of flexibility there. We’re working on major projects for the southernmost point, again, to improve the drainage there. A lot of what we’re doing right now is a direct result in anticipation of sea level rise and climate change, and we are certainly seeing the effects here. So not only is the southernmost point going to be improved, we’re going to raise Jose Marti. We’re going to take care of that. South Roosevelt Boulevard, right now is being raised 17 and a half inches. So we’ve got lots of things in the works that will improve the quality of life for our residents and help us offer a better visitor experience for our 3 million guests.”
A lot of those issues involved a lot of public input.
Johnston said, “If I can ask anything as I leave office as the Mayor of the City of Key West is that people continue to please share your ideas and your concerns. When we have a workshop, we’re trying to have them at all different times of the day so that you’re able to attend. But please show up. Tell us what you’re looking for, what will make your life better in the city of Key West, and believe me, there are open ears here in City Hall, and we have changed a lot of projects. We modified them based on our resident input. So please show up and participate in your government, because that’s how we make the right decisions.”
Any advice for the commissioners and the new mayor?
Johnston said, “I would say, listen, have an open ear and listen. But I also think that you’ve got to be very, very attuned to what the majority of the people in Key West want, because we’ve got a very small contingent of loud people, and the old adage squeaky wheel gets the grease, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are doing the right things for the right people in the city of Key West. So please be aware that we need to make decisions based on what the majority of our residents are looking for, and they’re really looking for a better quality of life. They are looking to change. We do need change, and not just for change sakes. We need change in order to keep our community fighting sea level rise and climate change, also improving our infrastructure, taking care of our infrastructure, but giving a better quality of life for the people that actually pay the taxes that keep our community rolling.”
What does the future look like for Johnston?
She said, “You’ll see me in Key West. We have had a business here for the last 20 years, Affiliated Design and Construction Managers. You will see us working in that business. We design and build homes. We do historic reservation and renovations, and we just have some incredible customers. So you will see me around town. I’m going to stay active in politics. You will see me at the forums. You’ll see me at the workshops, because this is our home. So we are going to make sure that we provide the input for the new commission and the new mayor, so that we can move forward in the right direction in the future.”
Would she do it again if she had the opportunity?
Johnston said, “If I were younger, because I think it really is a younger person’s job, and I know that that that we have a lot of elderly politicians, particularly in Washington DC, who continue to make some pretty wise decisions. But it takes energy, and you need to relate to our community and we have a community where 90% of our residents and taxpayers came from somewhere else, and you need to represent that. I mean, you need to represent those people who have reasonable expectations of goods and services as they move to Key West, because they have chosen Key West for their home out of anywhere else that they can live in in the world. So it’s really important that we pay attention to every single group in the city of Key West, and make sure that we’re meeting the needs. But politics is politics. I think over the years, it has taken a turn for the worst. We’ve gotten into black politics, where you have comments made by third party groups. My last election as mayor had a lot of input and influence by our three counties to the north of us who influenced the election greatly and we have always been used in Key West to having a local election. Local people make the decisions based on local issues, based on local solutions. I am concerned that we are moving away from that and that we have a lot of money coming in from all different areas. When you take a look at the donations, please, please be aware of where they’re coming from, and when those donations come there was going to be an expectation that there are votes in a certain manner when those donations come in. So take a look at the candidates that are running and where they’re getting their donations. Are they local $2,500 donations? Are they coming from corporations outside of Key West?”
Michael Stapleford of KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM said, “I certainly am joined by many, many people who want to thank you for your years of very admirable service to our community. We cannot thank you enough for that.”
Johnston added, “I would like to thank the people of Key West, first of all. I have been through five elections, and I’ve won all five elections pretty handily in all situations. So I would like to thank the people of Key West for their confidence. I would like to thank the people of Key West for sharing their concerns and their ideas and working hand in hand with me as we move through some relatively thorny issues over the last 14 years. We couldn’t have done it without a good community. Believe me, we have lots of very, very good, moral, ethical, fun loving people in the city of Key West who just want to see us continue to improve and to those people, hats off. I want to also give a very special thank you to my family. Dar, our daughter, Stacy, son in law, Dan, and our two granddaughters, Riley and Scout here in Key West, as well as our other daughter, Jennifer and her husband, Vinnie, and our granddaughters, Harper and Avery, because they have been there with me every election, standing out, holding signs, making sure that we are represented out there. So thank you so much. Sometimes it’s hard on family, because they certainly read Facebook posts and the ugly things that can happen with social media, but they’ve also been there for all the great times, and I couldn’t have done it without their love and support, and particularly, Dar’s because she has been there for all 14 years of my service. And Michael, I just want to say thank you to you and Diane, because this is the reason we get out correct information. There’s a lot of misinformation that’s always disseminated, and you allow us a forum in order to get out correct information, so we could not do our job without you, and you have been a godsend. So thank you so much for letting me be on your program every Monday morning.”
Stapleford said, “Well, I am very humbled by that and very honored to do so. So thank you, Mayor. The best to you and your family going forward, we will certainly see you often. You take care.”