Jack B. Johnson

Infobox_Officeholder
name =Jack B. Johnson

|200px
width=180
date of birth=birth date and age|1949|04|03
place of birth =Charleston, South Carolina
state = Maryland
term_start =2002
succeeded = TBD
party =Democrat
death_date =
death_place =
constituency =
party = Democratic
spouse =
profession = County Executive
religion =


footnotes =

Jack B. Johnson (b. April 3, 1949 in Charleston, South Carolina) is the current county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland, serving since 2002.

Education and career

Johnson received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Benedict College in 1970, and his J.D. from the Howard University School of Law in 1975. He also served in the United States Army from 1970-1976. [ [http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/36loc/pg/html/msa13947.html Jack B. Johnson, County Executive, Prince George's County, Maryland ] ]

Johnson is married and has three children, and is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

After leaving the military, Johnson was employed with the Internal Revenue Service as a senior attorney from 1975-1984, and went on to become an associate professor of tax law at the North Carolina Central University School of Law from 1984-1987. In Maryland, Johnson served as deputy state's attorney for Prince George's County from 1987-1994, and as state's attorney for Prince George's County from 1994 until his election as county executive in 2002. In 2006, Johnson was narrowly re-elected in a heated campaign against fellow Democrat Rushern Baker. [http://www.rushernbaker.com] [http://www.goprincegeorgescounty.com/election2006_2/summary-1.htm]

Controversy

Johnson has been accused of providing lucrative contracts to unqualified friends and political supporters, and of using government funds for personal expenses. A November 20, 2006 article in "The Washington Post" detailed excessive travel expenses claimed by Johnson:

Johnson flew business class to Senegal in December 2005 to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for homes built by a local developer. The cost of his travel was $6,003, charged to the county, and paid for by taxpayers. Johnson was quoted as saying, "I always fly business class or first class. I think the people of Prince George's County expect me to. I don't think they expect me to be riding in a seat with four across and I'm in the middle." He also generated controversy by staying at the luxurious Bellagio Hotel and The Wynn when traveling to Las Vegas for recent shopping center conventions, two of the most expensive hotels in the city. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111901228.html Prince George's Taxpayers Pick Up Officials' Personal Tabs - washingtonpost.com ] ]

2008 Primary Delegate Role

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, a Democratic convention delegate pledged to support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, said May 14th 2008 that he thinks Sen. Barack Obama has "in a real sense" won the Democratic nomination and supported Obama at the August convention. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202554.html?referrer=digg Pr. George's Executive Switches To Obama - washingtonpost.com ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.goprincegeorgescounty.com/Government/ExecutiveBranch/index.asp Jack Johnson biography] from the Prince George's County Government