Ken Johnson. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By Carol A. Clark
Democratic candidate Ken Johnson officially withdrew his name from the Los Alamos County Council race, filing his paperwork with the Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office late this morning.
Johnson shared with the Los Alamos Daily Post his reasons for leaving the race.
“A confluence of events in recent months has made it highly likely that I will be moving away from Los Alamos in the fairly near future,” Johnson said. “Consequently, if elected to the council, I would be unable to complete my term. As a candidate, I believe my supporters should have the expectation that, if my campaign is successful, I will represent them for the complete duration of my term. Since this is an expectation that I will be unable to meet, I am withdrawing from the council race. I am grateful for the community support I’ve received, not only in the current election, but over many years. I apologize to my supporters, and I will be returning the financial contributions they have made to my election campaign. Lastly, I intend to remain active in the election, just not as a candidate.”
Los Alamos County Democratic Party Chair Mike Wheeler said, “We are sorry that Ken has had to withdraw but we understand that family matters come before public life.”
Johnson is the second council candidate to drop out of the race. Last month, Republican candidate Roger Waterman withdrew citing personal and professional reasons.
The local GOP Central Committee selected Steve Girrens to run in Waterman’s place.
Per state regulation, Johnson had to resign by Sept. 4 and his replacement must be officially selected by Sept. 11 to be listed on the November ballot, Wheeler said.
“We will hold a meeting of the Democratic Central Committee in the next couple of weeks to select a new candidate,” Wheeler said. “We welcome all people interested in filling the position to let us know and we’ll give them careful consideration,” Wheeler said.
Registered Democrats interested in being considered should contact Wheeler at wheels@newmexico.com or 662-5577.
