Public safety and education are two of the largest obligations that our City government owes to its citizens and taxpayers. Linda Johnson, as the council person from the Sleepy Hole Borough and as mayor of the city of Suffolk, has whole heartedly supported the police, firemen, and the EMS personnel by providing them with the assets that allows them to protect our citizens and allow them to feel safe and secure.

She also strongly supports our public school system. Mrs. Johnson was a former school teacher at John F. Kennedy when it was a high school and she is very much aware and in touch with the needs of our children. She has supported a budget that allows approximately 52% of the budget to be paid to the school board to make sure that our children receive the best education possible and I am sure that she will continue her support to make sure that Suffolk’s children receive the best education possible. Along those same lines, she has been very supportive of the modeling and simulation industry that has blossomed in Suffolk that is even now providing good jobs for some of the graduates in our city. She is also the only Mayor in the commonwealth to serve on Governor Kaine’s Work Force Task Force and she has helped set up a work force office here in Suffolk that is the model for all of those offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I also admire Mayor Johnson, as well as City Council, for their insight to recognize that the city already had a very qualified person on staff to hire as City Manager and not spend tax payer’s dollars and hire a consultant to search for a candidate to fill the City Manager’s position.

Our city has made much progress under the leadership of Linda Johnson and I see no reason to change when we have someone who has demonstrated her dedication to the citizens of the city of Suffolk. I encourage you to look at Mayor Johnson’s record on issues she has already implemented within the city and her future plans she has to improve our city and vote for her on November 4th.

Theresa A. Provost

Sleepy Hole Borough