Keith Johnson, Chickasha's new city manager, talked about his background and what his vision for Chickasha looks like.
The February 2, 2023 meeting of the Chickasha Rotary Club was called to order by President Lewis Knisley. Rot. Mitch Williams led the club in singing "The Things We Do for Love" by 10cc.
Rot. Gerron Smith provided an update on the upcoming Rotary Run. The fundraiser will be held May 6 in order to coincide with the YMCA's Open Streets event. The committee for the event has been assembled.
Rotarian of the Day Chris Mosley introduced his speaker, Keith Johnson. Johnson began work as City Manager for Chickasha in November.
Johnson spoke positively about what he had seen thus far in Chickasha. He identified one of the city's biggest challenges as "the STP principle"—the "same ten people" are responsible for and involved in everything, because few other people are willing and able. He mentioned that part of his idea of a healthy community is people working together to achieve common goals.
Johnson is originally from Southern Idaho, and thus is "appreciative of the cowboy lifestyle". His career began working in a CPA firm in Midland, Texas, until he moved to Colorado and earned a law degree at the University of Denver. His first public sector job was as a deputy treasurer in Orange County, California in 1994, in the wake of the county's bankruptcy. He was first recruited to Oklahoma by a mentor of his, who was head of the Office of State Finance at the time. He said that when he and his family first moved to Oklahoma, they knew, "We're gonna like it here."
Very shortly after moving to Oklahoma City, Johnson experienced a "life-changing, life-defining moment" as the Murrah Building bombing took place. One of his first tasks as a controller for the state was to do damage assessment, in order to measure the direct impact of the attack to all levels of government. Johnson remarked that "to see a community come together after that tragedy the way Oklahoma did" was very impactful.
Johnson returned to Idaho for a time to serve as the State Controller, an elected position. He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, but due to the number of candidates in the primary, he dropped out of the race. He also worked Oracle and for Franklin County, Washington, before being hired as Chickasha's city manager.
Johnson said that his key goal for Chickasha is that it would aspire to be the best-managed city in Oklahoma, "not just as a city government, but as a community." He said that the city staff consists of "dedicated, talented employees." He urged attendees to "help me help the city" by remaining positive and encouraging of city employees. He added that currently in Chickasha, "there's a positivity that doesn't come around often."
Lunch was provided by Cotton Patch Cafe.