Rob Johnson

Early life and education Johnson is a fifth-generation Seattleite. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from Willamette University and a Master's in Transportation Planning from University of California, Los Angeles.

Seattle City Council Election In 2014, Johnson announced his run for the newly created District 4 seat in the Seattle City Council. He campaigned on an urbanist platform, focusing on increasing density around public transit and improving the walkability in the city. There was three other challengers in the election, which included neighborhood activist Tony Provine, Michael Maddux, a litigation paralegal, and University of Washington employee Abel Pacheco.

In the August primary, Johnson came in first with 32.84% and advanced to the general election, alongside Maddux, who earned 24.64%.

Johnson and Maddux agreed on most issues and were seen as "BFFs," who regularly carpooled to events together. Johnson focused on public transit, and said he was the candidate that would get things done. Several days later, he was appointed to the Sound Transit board of directors by King County Executive Dow Constantine, replacing fellow councilmember Mike O'Brien. Johnson was chair of the Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee, and focused on zoning, affordable housing, and transportation. His plans for upzoning certain areas of Seattle unanimously passed the council, which allowed for larger building in exchange for developers including or paying for some low-income housing. After his resignation, Abel Pacheco Jr. was appointed to take Johnson's place until the November 2019 election. Shortly after his resignation announcement, Johnson was offered a position as transportation adviser to the NHL Seattle project. Johnson is currently the senior vice president of sustainability for the Seattle Kraken.

Personal life He lives in the Ravenna neighborhood with his wife, Katie, and their three daughters.