Sen. Janet Johnson leaves
important legacies behind
State Sen. Janet
Johnson, diagnosed with a brain tumor in July, died
Aug. 21. She accomplished more in eight years in the
Legislature and 59 years on this planet than most of
us can hope to achieve; but her real legacy is not
just what she got done. It is also the way she lived:
with integrity, passion and the courage of her
convictions. Janet impressed many with her warmth,
compassion and ability to reach out to people. In a
time of growing cynicism about politics and
government, her example is needed more than ever.
From the time she got to the Senate, Janet
believed there might be a better way than the way
things had always been done. She believed that if we
develop new tools, new technologies, new resources,
we could start to replace the old way. She was
talking about biomass and wind energy back in 1991,
long before other legislators. But she didn't just
talk -- she successfully moved her ideas forward.
Wind power is now the world's fastest growing energy
resource, and Minnesota is at the forefront.
It is certainly true that most legislators and
other elected officials enter public life because of
an earnest desire to make a difference -- but the
reality of their daily work is that too many issues
become politicized and policy analysis often leads to
policy paralysis. Janet Johnson navigated by her
convictions and refused to fall into these traps.
This was most dramatically evident in 1994, when the
Legislature grappled with the issue of nuclear waste
storage at NSP's Prairie Island plant.
Janet was singled out by many for her courage in
that fight. In April 1994, a news columnist described
her as "a tough, smart legislator who
out-pointed the opposition on her knowledge of
nuclear energy," noting that she was among a
small group of women legislators who "had the
brass to oppose party leadership and an intense
lobbying blitz to vote against the bill to permit a
nuclear waste dump on Prairie Island." Her
political courage stemmed from her deep commitment to
creating a cleaner environment for future
generations.
Though the 1994 NSP debate may have been her most
visible moment, Janet fought the good fight on many
fronts -- both visibly and behind the scenes, often
giving credit to others. As chair of the Senate
Transportation Finance Committee, she pushed for
light rail transit, commuter rail service and Amtrak
rail service from the Twin Cities to Duluth. Her
experience riding subways as a native New Yorker
influenced her view of public transit in Minnesota,
and she helped other legislators see its potential.
She also fought for consumers, going up against
the telephone companies to restrict the practice
known as "slamming," or switching someone's
long-distance service without their consent.
And she was deeply concerned about the farm
crisis. Rather than spouting quick fixes or tired old
solutions, Janet emphasized new ways for farmers to
attain long-term self-sufficiency. In her view, the
promotion of organic agriculture represented one of
the best prospects for reaching this goal. She also
envisioned small groups of farmers owning their own
wind turbines and earning income from clean,
renewable energy.
Though representing an increasingly conservative
district north of the Twin Cities, she was not afraid
to take politically unpopular stands. When the bill
adding sexual orientation to the state human rights
law came up she said, "We just buried a good
friend who died of AIDS -- how can I not support this
legislation?"
Janet Johnson's most recent efforts brought
together two of her top concerns --
the environment
and the interests of children. During the 1999
session she introduced "The Parent's Right to
Know Act," which aimed to reduce Minnesota
schoolchildren's exposure to pesticides. Among other
things, it required schools to notify parents if they
apply certain pesticides. As Janet said at the time,
"We cannot shield our children from all the
hazards in life, but we can certainly take steps to
minimize risk by reducing exposure to pesticides
while our children are learning and growing into
healthy adults." This effort is not finished;
the legislation was not enacted this year.
Janet used government as her means of winning
results for children, for her communities and for
Minnesota's natural treasures. Her example recalls
something Canadian mass communications expert
Marshall McLuhan said: "There are no passengers
on spaceship earth. We are all crew." Our
colleague took her position as crew member very
seriously, rolling up her sleeves and going to work
on behalf of her communities, our environment and
future generations. She, and the further
contributions she would have made, will be greatly
missed by all of us.
Submitted by Minnesota DFL State Senators - Left
to right (back row) Deanna Wiener, Jane Krentz, Carol
Flynn, Ember Reichgott Junge, Janet Johnson, Sandy Pappas,
Linda Berglin, Ellen Anderson - Left to right (front
row) Pat Piper, Jane Ranum, Paula Hanson (Not shown)
- Becky Lourey, Linda Higgins.
