From Losing Two Elections to Winning More Votes Than Anyone in Lehi History

Mark Johnson didn't start with a path to the mayor's office. He started with ideas about traffic calming and transportation, and a desire to see Lehi plan more thoughtfully. He ran for City Council twice in the early 2000s and lost both times. In those years, he says, it was genuinely hard to win in Lehi unless you were 'from Lehi.' But his ideas gained enough respect that he was appointed to the Planning Commission, where he became chair and began enacting the transportation philosophies he'd campaigned on. When a Council vacancy opened, he was appointed — and when he finally ran again, he received more votes than anyone had ever received in Lehi. Years later, after leaving politics and starting his own business, he was persuaded reluctantly to run for mayor. He finished second in the primary. After soul-searching, he committed fully — and swung 18 points from primary to general election.