Click on the audio player below to hear Mayor Otis Johnson address the Downtown Business Association on January 9, 2008.

City government should be more responsive, more transparent, more accountable…
… building a coalition, the need to build a team…
… the Lebanon Plantation planning retreat for the mayor-council team, for one day a year in the first week of the year…
… we need a leader, and a group of leaders to analyze the past, contemplate the future…
… regionalism is the new catchword for government in the 21st century…
… how are we planning to be the cultural, economic, social and political hub of this region…
… we must look at the way we operate, partner, collaborate…
… prepare for the new regionalism that’s going to come…
… issues such as sharing water, transportation, … with Bryan, Effingham, Beaufort, Jasper counties and all the counties all around…
… we must be driven by a vision of a safe, environmentally healthy, economically thriving community for all of the citizens… The vision drives you, inspires you.
The Council has set a list of priorities…
…
… we instituted quarterly Town Hall meetings … direct democracy …
…
Give respect to get respect.
…
The Council has been able to articulate our work… we must work with the city to embrace this vision.
…
In 2011 will Savannah be better off than in 2008?
…come with a plan, work your plan, be accountable for your plan…

How well have I done with the stewardship?

Otis Johnson discusses regionalism in the 21st century.

Soon after Robert James introduced the Honorable Otis S. Johnson as the newly installed 64th Mayor of the City of Savannah on January 2, 2008, Otis let the room know that he planned to speak the truth as he felt the spirit move him.

Click on the audio player below to hear selected excerpts from “the last inaugural speech you’ll ever hear” from Otis Johnson. (11 minutes 8 seconds)

“Democracy depends on the involvement and the participation of an informed and mobilized populace.”
“… we’re not mind readers, we need you to be involved…”

“… In the next four years I’m going to be off the leash. I’m going to talk about personal responsibility, about institutional barriers to people’s welfare…”
“… I’ve had a good life, so now I’m going to be a truth-talker…”

“… It’s not the liberals, it’s not the conservatives…”

“We must assume responsibility for ourselves, our families, and our communities.”

The success of the Step-up program is highlighted.
Click to see some of the national recognition of this successful Savannah anti-poverty program.

Mayor Johnson issued a challenge to recognize that “… we are not poor, we often act poor … We waste resources, we should commit ourselves to the principle that nobody is going to help us but ourselves… ”

Book cited: Race Matters by Cornell West.

Click for a wonderful review of the speech from the blog “Howards-home” (courtesy of Union Mission), a fine neighbor and one of the finest voices in Savannah:
“I am proud of the Mayor for his courage to speak out about these issues.”

(in the words of Burton Sauls)

The goal: 50.1% of the vote with no run-off.
The result: 70% of the vote.

Click to hear Otis speak at the victory podium:

Otis showed his leadership from the first moment.
The first thing that Otis Johnson did as the newly re-elected Mayor of Savannah was to read from the scripture:
from Psalms 91
(Abiding in the Shadow of the Almighty)
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress:
my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

Otis said, “The spirit didn’t speak to me, I don’t know who anointed whom but I am not claiming to be anointed. You don’t claim those kinds of things. You don’t play with religion.”

Further highlights include:
* Comments on the referendum on four years of service.
* Savannah will be a safe, environmentally friendly, more economically viable community for all of its citizens
* Explanation of the vision. Challenge to work toward the vision.
* We have been making this city government more responsive, more transparent, more accountable and we will continue to do that.
* A 70% victory made history in Savannah!

Otis singled out a special thanks for Pete Liakakis during his victory celebration.
Hear those cheers for Pete Liakakis when he is asked onstage.

Click on the audio link below to hear Otis and Pete in their own words:

On November 6th at the Inn on Ellis Square, Otis made sure to thank many of those involved with his campaign.
Click on the audio link below to hear Otis in his own words:

Click on the audio player to hear a cross section of Savannah voters talking about Otis Johnson:

Click on the audio player below to hear Mayor Otis Johnson and Pete Liakakis, Chairman of the Chatham County Commission, at the Get Out the Vote Rally:

Click on the audio player below to hear Pete Liakakis, in his own words, speaking in support of Otis Johnson:

Pete Liakakis walking with Otis Johnson during the Healthy Savannah Fall Festival held in Forsyth Park.

Click on this audio player to hear Otis Johnson in his own words, via evoca virtual voicemail:

Topics include:

* It is now the last week of the campaign, and I am happy that we are coming to a close in this 2007 Mayoral campaign.

* Last Tuesday evening we had the final mayoral candidate forum at the Savannah Morning News auditorium, presented along with WSAV.
My opponents have nothing to run on, they only bring up issues that are irrelevant to governing the city of Savannah. I continue to talk about what we have already done and would like to continue to do, if you vote for Otis Johnson for mayor.

* Vote! Do not take anything for granted. We must avoid a run-off! We should not have to put up with this sort of campaigning any longer than is necessary.
Vote to insure a victory on November 6th. No run-off!

* There is a wide gap in the qualifications and philosophy of the candidates.

* Get Out the Vote Rally
at the Savannah Technical College auditorium
Friday November 2nd from 7pm to 9pm

Savannah Technical College, Savannah Campus
5717 White Bluff Road Savannah, GA 31405-5521
912-443-5700
Map and Directions
Plenty of free parking. Everyone is invited

Use your right to vote!
Vote for Otis! A responsive, thoughtful and accountable leader!
For more voting info, click here to see otisformayor.com: See “How to Vote”

Today the Savannah Morning News has an article titled:

“Johnson for mayor”
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

(A link to the article is at the bottom of this post)

The subtitle sums it up:
Savannah voters should re-elect Otis Johnson.

[ "otis johnson blog" editors note: Vote! We must avoid a run off! ]

Below are some highlights from the article, (edited for brevity, see full article via the link at the bottom).

…
Under the administration of Mayor Otis Johnson, the council has taken a more hands-on approach to key issues such as crime, poverty, neighborhood blight and the delivery of city services.

… Mr. Johnson has since established himself as the council’s leader …

… we believe that Mr. Johnson has earned a second term. We encourage voters to support his candidacy on Nov. 6 in the six-way race for mayor.
…

Mr. Johnson has shown himself to be a man of his word.
Take crime … (see article)
Take neighborhoods and blight … (see article)
Take education, public infrastructure and jobs … (see article)
…
One of Mr. Johnson’s best attributes is his fearlessness. He’s not afraid to say something unpopular from his bully pulpit. However, he has shown he can work with anybody for the common good.
…
Savannah faces a lot of challenges over the next four years. So does this region, which is growing. We believe that Otis Johnson has the city moving in the right direction, and we encourage voters to give him a second term.

Source:
Savannah Morning News: “Johnson for mayor”
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

As always, we ask for your feedback. Use the link below to comment.

We have a chance to hear what all the candidates running for mayor have to say.
WSAV is teaming up with the Savannah Morning News to bring you a mayoral forum.
Come out to hear how they stand on the issues.

Savannah Morning News auditorium, 1375 Chatham Parkway.
Tuesday night, October 30th
7:00pm to 9:00pm.
Free, but seating is limited.
Your attendance would be greatly appreciated.
If you can’t make it, it will be streamed live on WSAV.com and WSAV will also broadcast the mayoral forum next Sunday.

UPDATE

The auditorium was full, this photo show some of those in attendance queuing up with their questions.

Pictured (L-R): Tony Thomas, Alderman 6th District; Kenneth R. Dunham, Sr., Resident, 1st District; Jackie Haberman, Resident 6th District; Tommy Boondry, Resident, 3rd District; Mayor Otis Johnson; Kenneth Sadler, Alderman, 4th District; Mary Willoughby, Resident, 2nd District; and David M. Gellatly, County Commissioner, 6th District.

“Over the last three years, Otis and I have worked well together on critical issues like poverty reduction, crime reduction and economic development. Join me Tuesday November 6th in voting to keep Otis Johnson our Mayor and keep our city and county working together.”

Pete Liakakis,
Chatham County Commission Chairman

“Otis Johnson deserves an opportunity to continue his agenda of progress for the city of Savannah. Join me and re-elect Otis Johnson as Mayor of Savannah on Tuesday, November 6th. Let’s keep working together for the future of Savannah!”

Rev. Matthew Southall Brown,
Pastor Emeritus, St. John’s Baptist Church

“As past chairman of the Chamber, I worked closely with the Mayor on SPLOST and ESPLOST. We could not have brought the community together without his leadership in communicating the importance of our future needs in both infrastructure and education. He is passionate about our children’s future and continuing to fight crime. He understands that an education and economic development go hand-in-hand.”

Brian R. Foster,
Chairman and CEO, First Chatham Bank

I have had the opportunity and pleasure of working with Mayor Johnson on a variety of issues important to the city and the surrounding area.

In my capacity as Chairman of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce it was a pleasure to see Mayor Johnson lend his office, vision, intellect, and hard work to such issues as economic development, crime prevention and reduction, improved public education, poverty reduction, transportation planning and much more.

He has brought balanced leadership to the City and working with Chairman Liakakis has brought City/County cooperation to new highs.
He has been a strong ally of the Savannah business community in trying to move the economy forward for all of Savannah.
He worked tirelessly to have the SPLOST and ESPLOST initiatives approved by the voters.

Even in disagreement, I have found the Mayor willing to listen to all sides of an issue and seek to find the solution that will help the City as a whole.

I urge all of my friends and colleagues to vote for the Mayor in the upcoming election.
It is vital that you vote because all indications are that it will be a very low turnout.
Thank you,
Steve Green

Attend the
Get Out the Vote Rally
at the Savannah Technical College auditorium
Friday November 2nd from 7pm to 9pm

Opportunity to meet, plan, organize, and enjoy the fellowship of like-minded supporters of Otis Johnson for Mayor.
The energy between young students and long-time supporters of Otis will create an energized atmosphere.

Savannah Technical College, Savannah Campus
5717 White Bluff Road Savannah, GA 31405-5521
912-443-5700
Map & Directions
Plenty of free parking

Remember -
Early voting will take place the week of October 29th.
You can go the voter registration office at 117 Eisenhower Drive, Building E (when going east, past Waters Avenue). Find a day during that week because election day could be a very busy day for you.

Vote early!
You have earned the right to vote, don’t lose it!
Vote for Otis! A responsive, thoughtful and accountable leader!
For more voting info, click here to see otisformayor.com: “how to vote”

Van Johnson, Vice Chairman of the Savannah City Council, speaks in support of Otis Johnson. Click on the audio link below to hear Van Johnson in his own words:

My Wife and I are very proud supporters of our Mayor Otis S. Johnson.

When people from out of town tell me how beautiful and magical Savannah is, I always reply “but have you heard about our Mayor?”

It is so refreshing in this day of sound bites and prima donnas to have a plainspoken, no nonsense intellectual running our City Government. I’ve had the pleasure to hear our Mayor address very diverse audiences and his message is always the same. He cares about our City’s growth, our environment and the uplifting of the least of us and we will continue to work and pray for his re-election.

Vote for Otis Johnson!

I am very pleased to be supporting Otis in his reelection campaign.

He has the vision, the leadership skills and the determination to ensure that Savannah is a better place for all its citizens as it grows and faces the challenges of the 21st century.

Vote for Otis Johnson!

Click on the audio player to hear Otis Johnson in his own words via evoca virtual voicemail:

* We had plenty of events to attend this week. Our events ranged from enjoyable Greek food festivals to another event that was very sorrowful; the funeral of one of our young men that was taken from us too early.

* Here’s a book recommendation:
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life.

* Mark your calendar: Oct 30th there is a Mayoral forum at the newspaper office on Chathem Parkway.

* Early voting will take place the week of October 29th.
I am encouraging all of you to do that and to spread the word.
You can go the voter registration office at 117 Eisenhower Drive, Building E (when going east, past Waters Avenue). Find a day during that week because election day could be a very busy day for you.

Vote early!
It’s an easy process, there will be no lines and you can get it done. I’m hoping you can encourage your friends and relatives to do the same thing

Don’t wait until the last minute and miss an opportunity to choose the leadership of this community for the next four years.
You have earned the right to vote, don’t lose it!

Vote for Otis! A responsive, thoughtful and accountable leader!

Click on the audio link below to hear Robert James in his own words:

Click on the audio player to hear Otis Johnson in his own words via evoca virtual voicemail:

Monday was the opening of the Lady Bamford Early Childhood Development Center, which is a step forward in revitalizing the West Savannah area. The center will prepare children for success when they enter elementary school. The new center is a testament to the power of the partnerships of groups such as JCB, the City of Savannah, the United Way and others. They all had to come together to make this center possible.

At the Preserving Savannah Neighborhoods Forum the major emphasis was on the issue of widening Derenne Avenue.

Listen to the details of various forums held throughout Savannah. We fielded excellent questions, especially from the young people.

Vote early!
On Oct 29th early voting starts.
Vote early from October 29th through that Friday.
And remember - November 6th is election day and it is near.
Encourage your friends to vote for Otis Johnson.
No run-off!
We need 51.1% to prevent a run-off, saving taxpayers money.

Many good things are happening in Savannah, and it is getting noticed nationally and internationally.

Earlier this year, Inc. Magazine ranked Savannah #10 among the nation’s mid-size city boomtowns.

From Mary Carr Mayle, Savannah Morning News
“Savannah’s job growth has been huge, going from 2.9 percent in 2004-2005 to 3.4 percent,” said Joel Kotkin, economic development analyst and Inc. contributing editor. “Strong growth suggests that an economy is expanding – which means plenty of opportunity.”
Savannah’s business climate is particularly well balanced, he said – strong in manufacturing, professional business services, information technology and wholesale trade.

And just last month, in the
Milken Institute/Greenstreet Partners Best Performing Cities Index, Savannah jumped from 78th to 34th among metro areas – both large and small – based on the ability to grow and sustain jobs.

Announcing The Mayors Alliance to Save Historic Houses

Click on this link to hear Otis Johnson in his own words via evoca virtual voicemail:

In addition to saving historic houses, the goals for this initiative include:
* Enhance neighborhood qualities
* Improve public safety
* Promote economic development
* Support better land uses
* Foster better communications between the city council, neighborhood groups, and interested citizens

We have worked though our list of 100 worst properties and now are working on a second list.

We are hard at work looking at physical and social aspects of our neighborhoods, building on an economic approach to see strength in our neighborhoods.

Strong neighborhoods, strong people, viable buildings.

Vote November 6th. Your vote will prevent a run-off.

This election is about leadership and I am the responsive, thoughtful, and accountable leader for Savannah.
Click on this link to hear Otis Johnson in his own words via evoca virtual voicemail

Topics include:
Reducing poverty. Poverty and crime.
Making right choices. Taking responsibility for your actions.
Balanced approached to crime and causes.
Take a strong and firm approach to fighting crime.
The Savannah Impact program

We need 51% of the vote on November 6th.

Vote Otis for Mayor of Savannah!
Otis for Mayor! He is the responsive, thoughtful, and accountable leader for Savannah.
See our accomplishments listed on Otis for Mayor .com

From the front page of the Savannah Morning News:

Healthy start to autumn
“Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson was there to lead the way to better lifestyles, setting the pace for a health walk and launching the Mayor’s Health Challenge. The latter is a 12-week competition involving 20 families each from Savannah and Albany in southwest Georgia. The idea is to determine which set of families can improve its health most during the next three months.”

Click to see Mayor Otis Johnson try the hula hoop at the Healthy Savannah Fall Festival held in Forsyth Park.

Lois Wooten, Co-Chair of the Committee to Elect Otis Johnson, Mayor of Savannah, Georgia.

Click to hear Lois Wooten in her own words: