Othello mayor elect says a number of issues need attention

OTHELLO — Ken Johnson leads the race for Othello mayor in unofficial results updated Thursday afternoon, and said some issues require immediate attention if he wins. 

As of Thursday, Johnson had 478 votes to 398 for Logan.  

“We’ve got some things that need to be addressed pretty quick,” Johnson said. 

Johnson ran against incumbent Shawn Logan, who said Thursday that there are still votes to be counted, and that he preferred to wait until after the election is certified to comment. 

Johnson said one of his first priorities would be to reevaluate the city’s plans to start its own fire department. The city’s contract with Adams County Fire District 5 is scheduled to expire in May 2026, and Othello City Council members voted to start a separate municipal fire department.  

“I would just like to get some time to work on it a little bit more,” Johnson said. “(The fire district) is willing to go back to the table, and I’m willing to go there too and negotiate, no matter what it would look like at the outcome. I do believe the road city has taken right now is not the right one.”  

Adams County officials are reexamining the contract between Othello and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office for dispatch services, and Johnson said he would be open to negotiations. 

“I’ve seen a lot of separation between different entities, with the city stepping out and doing a lot of stuff on their own. I believe cooperation between all government agencies should be utilized wherever we can, as it saves tax money. It doesn’t duplicate services. When we can all work as partners together, it makes it much more efficient,” Johnson said.  

Damage was discovered to the Othello Community Pool in spring 2024, which has kept the pool from opening since. Johnson said that if the bond passes, one of the first priorities will be to get that project underway.  

“I know a lot of people want that pool up and going as soon as possible,” he said.  

Othello had a city administrator prior to 2018; when the previous administrator got another job, Logan took over both roles. Johnson said he wants to hire a new city administrator. 

“That is one of my intentions, to find an administrator. Those two (jobs) should be separated. You have got to have accountability from your city hall. And there was no accountability on being on being a mayor and administrator at the same time,” Johnson said. 

He said he would not take over the role of city administrator temporarily. Under existing city ordinances, the finance director would become interim administrator if the current mayor left office, Johnson said.  

He said that if he’s elected, he wants to work with Logan to ensure a smooth transition. 

“I know I’ve got different thoughts on some things that they’ve got going on right now, but hopefully we could work through those,” he said. 

    Shawn Logan, incumbent Othello mayor, said he preferred not to comment until after the 2025 mayoral election is certified later this month.