Portsmouth Mayor Kevin E. Johnson has some words of encouragement for young people experiencing hard times, “Where you are now doesn’t define where you will be in the future.”
Johnson knows from first-hand experience. He remembers when hard times started for his family. His father was a veteran who worked as a sign painter. The family lived in a little house on Grimes Street. Then one day his father had a heart attack and was hospitalized for over a month. He was never able to work again and the family was forced to leave their home and move into the Wayne Hills public housing project. Johnson said that back in those days he was sometimes embarrassed to tell people where he lived because he feared their reaction. “As I got older, I realized it’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s something to be proud of.” In fact, his mother lived in Wayne Hills until her death and now he recalls it as a nice place with lots of good neighbors.
The Mayor says the key to his success in life was the work ethic instilled in him by his parents. “I used to stand in front of the old Clark’s Department Store and the old Kresge’s in downtown and sell Grit Newspapers. I shoveled walks. I mowed lawns.” After high school, the mayor says he knew his college options were limited because of finances, so he went to Southeastern Business College and Shawnee State using Pell and state grants. Johnson says the biggest factor in his life has been God. “Without sounding like a right-wing religious nut, I give God the credit for every positive thing that’s happened in my life. I firmly believe God had a plan.”
He says he realizes that many young people are the victims of their parents’ bad choices and may feel hopeless for the future. He urges them not to give up. “We live in a town where a boy can grow up in government-assisted housing and become the mayor. I know first hand. It can happen to you. You want to chase your dreams.”