Candidate profile: At-large district candidate Kirk Johnson

Decorah City Council member Kirk Johnson calls Decorah "a very positive place to be"--and he's looking for ways to keep it that way.

Johnson says the community has benefited from being open to whatever ideas come up, such as the craft beer boom with Toppling Goliath and Pulpit Rock.  "What's going to be the next thing?" he asked rhetorically in a decorahnews.com interview.  He says he's proud to have cast votes in favor of economic development projects for Toppling Goliath, the Fairfield Inn project, HyVee, the Gundersen Clinic Helicopter hangar, and other smaller projects.  He adds, "I am supportive of tax incentives for new and remodeled housing."

This is Johnson's second time on the Decorah City Council.  In addition to being elected to an at-large seat in 2015, Johnson served eight years on the Decorah City Council from 1997 to 2005.  During those terms, he voted in favor of replacing the Fifth Avenue Bridge, development of the new Business Park, airport improvements, major additions to the Public Library, a new joint Law Enforcement Center with the county, and a comprehensive historic downtown streetscape project.

At a recent candidate forum, Johnson asked, "Where will growth of Decorah come from?"  He also stated the city needs to prioritize improving streets and infrastructure.