Bob Johnson: He wasn’t born in Lodi, but he lived Lodi
The city will miss Bob Johnson.
Volumes could be written about the four-term city council member, who died this week at the age of 80. One would be hard-pressed to name anyone else who has worked harder or longer to improve Lodi. He was everywhere. He may have never seen a community meeting that he didn’t want to attend.
Bob was a big man with a big personality and a distinctive laugh. He was smart, articulate and gregarious. He was also fearless, outspoken and someone who always came to meetings prepared. During spirited discussions, one of his favorite retorts was, “Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
Fellow Rotarian Randy Snider said, “Bob was a character. If Bob was in the room, you knew it. He was a joy to be around.” Snider recalls the time when the police department put on a DUI presentation at one of their club meetings. They wanted to demonstrate how a person’s size and gender and the amount of alcohol they consume could affect the outcome of a breathalyzer test. Bob was one of the volunteers. When it was his turn, Bob threw back a few drinks, waited a while, then blew into the machine. “It barely moved the needle,” laughs Snider.
Bob was a huge supporter of youth sports. He served two terms for a total of 15 years on the parks and recreation commission and about as long with Boosters of Boys Sports (BOBS). It was only after being elected to the city council that Bob relinquished his commission seat.
Retired city recreation supervisor Marilyn Field remembers that when “the big guy” arrived in town with his young family, “he jumped with both feet into the community.” He immediately got involved with city sports programs and helped lobby the BOBS organization to include girls in their activities and, eventually, to change its name to Boosters of Boys (and Girls) Sports. Bob also was instrumental in developing a youth soccer program for boys — and girls, says Field.
Former fellow park and rec commissioner Scott Davis said of Bob, “He was always the smartest kid in class. He really did his homework.” He and Bob would also play golf on occasion. When asked if Bob was a good golfer, Davis hesitated a moment to conjure up something nice to say. “He was a hacker like me — probably a better hacker,” Davis recalls.
Involved
His community involvement wasn’t limited to sports or youth activities. He was also involved in the chamber of commerce, having served as its president. He attended virtually every Street Faire. Every light parade. He was there at crab feeds and pancake breakfasts. Whenever there was a gathering to discuss or plan something for the betterment of the city, Bob was there.
Former Deputy City Manager Janet Keeter remembers, “Bob always seemed bigger than life. He was tuned in to the community, involved in so many different aspects in the city. He had an affinity for downtown improvements to enhance businesses and visitors’ experiences.”
The downtown revitalization project, which transformed the failing, largely vacant core of the city into the vibrant destination it is today, may not have happened were it not for Bob’s support and participation.
A vote by property owners on whether to assess themselves ended in a virtual tie. The city council ultimately made the decision to proceed. Downtown Lodi was transformed into the entertainment and wine tasting destination it is today. Bob Johnson played a critical, if not pivotal, role in making it happen.
Critics
But Bob had his critics. There was no mistaking where Bob stood on issues. He was opinionated, but also a good listener. He was both vocal and impassioned on most topics that mattered. There were those who agreed, and those who didn’t, but Bob took the heat. He stood his ground until sufficient evidence was produced that changed his mind, which wasn’t often.
Former editor of the Lodi NewsSentinel Rich Hanner remembers that Bob had a “great sense of curiosity.”
“He was a journalism major in college and he was constantly learning. He read the paper closer than I did. And if someone wrote a critical letter to the editor about the city (or him), Bob would find that person’s phone number so he could call them and discuss the matter with them,” recalls Hanner. “He could be charming, but tough. There was nobody like Bob Johnson.”
Bob loved serving. Only one other person would have served on the city council longer than Bob. That’s ironic because it took several tries for him to get elected. His first attempt was in 1992 when he was among a field of 13 candidates for two open seats. Bob finished seventh with 7.9% of the vote.
Several years later Bob would be appointed to the city council to fill the remaining term of Dave Warner, who had been appointed to the San Joaquin Superior Court bench. After serving for nine months, Bob ran unsuccessfully for the seat to which he was appointed.
A proud ex-Marine, to Bob it was just another beach to take. His dogged tenacity paid off. He ran again in 2004 and was elected, serving until his death. He ran unopposed in his last election, an almost unheard-of occurrence in Lodi politics.
He is likely the only sitting council member to ever die in office, certainly the only one in modern times.
Bob didn’t know much about technology, thinking it was akin to a foreign language, but he embraced it all the same. During his tenure, the city digitized records in the city clerk’s office and city council members received laptops that replaced thick binders containing paper documentation of meeting agendas.
Sometimes Bob would have a differing opinion on some matters, and he wouldn’t be afraid to tell you. Take growth, for example. He believed Lodi needed to grow and would sometimes tangle with fellow council members over such topics. He joined the majority in voting against a proposed growth moratorium in 2006, citing Lodi’s already slow growth as evidence.
Tireless advocate
Bob was president of the chamber of commerce in 1994. Chamber President and CEO Pat Patrick says Bob was “an ardent defender of the business community.” Patrick says he always found it entertaining to hear Bob spar with other members of the chamber’s government relations committee, of which he was a part. “Bob could hold his own,” Patrick chuckles.
Bob was also an advocate for establishing a redevelopment agency and promoting a plan to rehab Lodi’s deteriorating east side. Lodi voters rejected the plan, much to his disappointment, thinking it was the only realistic way to pay for significant improvements to that area of town.
There were other disappointments, too. Bob was a proponent of establishing a north county Delta College campus, and he worked tirelessly to promote the bond measure that would pay for it. The bond issue passed, but the campus was never built. Bob was livid and felt the college trustees let the city down.
About two years ago Bob got an infection that affected his lower legs and knees, making it difficult to walk. The affliction began to affect his attendance at city council meetings. “I have not had a heart attack. I have not had a stroke. I just have an inability to move around as fast and as easy as I should,” he said at the time in an effort to ease people’s fears that he couldn’t perform his elected duties.
Bob participated in council meetings by telephone for most of the past two years, although he was sometimes able to physically attend with the use of a walker. In spite of his physical limitations, Bob carried on his duties as an elected official from his hospital bed, conferring with city staff on matters that were to be voted on.
Despite Bob’s packed schedule, his family always came first. They were his first love. His second love was Lodi, his adopted home, for which he spent more than 30 years serving and striving to make better.