Meet the climbing West Jordan mayor

WEST JORDAN — Visitors to the home of Mayor-elect Melissa Johnson might at first be put off upon walking into the living room and having nowhere to sit.

But the ambitious guest could climb to the vaulted ceiling or practice bouldering by climbing an inverted slope structure in the wall.

Johnson, 39, shares her West Jordan home with a banker husband and five children. Recently, the living room has been transformed into a climbing gym. In addition to removable hand-holds, the space is equipped with wrestling mats and gymnastic fitness rings — and a coat rack.

"My kids are really good at it," said Johnson, who is technically a stay-at-home mom but whose schedule includes all kinds of volunteer work and outdoor recreation.

Johnson was elected to the West Jordan City Council four years ago following an intense, pavement-pounding campaign. On Nov. 3, she beat out fellow mayoral candidate Irene T. Casper with 71 percent of the vote.

"Ten years ago, I couldn't have predicted where I am now," Johnson said during her first post-election interview with the Deseret News. "The mayor is just another person and always has been. … We really do live in a country that takes everyone."

Johnson has always been interested in politics — she switched her major from engineering to communications in college after joining the debate team — but always thought she would have an advisory role rather than an elected one.

But starting in January, the intelligent and well-spoken woman will take the helm of Utah's fourth-largest city.

At a recent Salt Lake County Council of Governments meeting, outgoing West Jordan Mayor David Newton told other elected officials that Johnson would be ever-present and ambitious upon taking office.

"She is aggressive, there is no question about it," Newton said later. "She is a little bulldog, and she'll make herself known and she'll do well."

Many of Johnson's campaign volunteers lent their support after receiving regular "council update" e-mails from her about city business. She started writing the letters as notes to herself but then started sending them to constituents who couldn't make it to the meetings.

In the next four years, Johnson hopes to improve communication between the city and its residents, she said. The mayor-elect also wants to push voluntarism, she said, to fill gaps in the community structure.