To the editor:

Mayor Linda Johnson has broken through “the glass ceiling,” the barrier between managerial and senior-level positions that has prevented women and minorities from empowerment of Fortune 500 companies and executive positions.

Mayor Johnson isn’t the CEO of a company — she is more than that. Mayor Johnson is the orchestrator of a city council in the largest city in Virginia, the city of Suffolk.

A report, “Empowering the Third Billion: Women and the World of Work in 2012,” reveals for the first time that empowering women actually improves the prosperity of nations and the overall quality of life.

While the overall economy was weak and troubled during the past five years, Suffolk survived and was named by CNN Money Magazine as the ninth best community in which to live for job growth.

Suffolk continues to grow and is moving forward. Therefore, why would anyone consider altering its course by not supporting Linda Johnson at the polls?

Hard work, determination, and transparency are the keys to our success. Mayor Linda Johnson has possessed those keys for six years, and the keys still fit. Her close relationships with the city manager and City Council have proven to be fruitful.

Regardless who holds the keys, mistakes and or poor judgments will be made. It’s the overall quality of life that matters.

John M. Jones

Suffolk