Laura Johnson Just Might Be Peachtree City’s Best Councilmember

When Laura Johnson won her December 2023 runoff with 78% of the vote, many were curious about what we were getting. She was politically inexperienced, light on policy detail, and ran more on promise than specifics. Peachtree City essentially took a leap of faith that she’d serve us well.

Almost two years in, that bet appears to be paying off. Johnson has quietly become a stabilizing force on a council that might otherwise have devolved into chaos. While her colleagues can’t even agree to pass a resolution to be civil with each other, Johnson keeps her eye on delivering tangible improvements for residents.

Finding Her Footing

Johnson’s first months on council were a period of learning the ropes. She teamed up with Mayor Learnard on a procedural change requiring three council members to approve agenda items. Some residents quickly criticized the move as potentially limiting transparency.

What stood out, though, was how Johnson responded: rather than getting defensive, she carefully explained her reasoning, saying broader sign-off would prevent last-minute surprises and push debate into the open. She also signaled she was willing to revisit the idea if it didn’t work — a pragmatic approach that stood out on a council often pulled toward theatrics.

That same focus on process surfaced again when Councilmember Suzanne Brown pressed to add official prayers before meetings. Johnson, a person of faith herself, urged patience rather than division. As she put it:

“I love prayer. I start every council meeting with a personal prayer offered during the moment of silence. I did not vote against having an invocation before city council meetings; the motion was whether or not to put it on the agenda. It was apparent to me from months of conversations that it would be premature to schedule a vote. Prayer in our meetings could welcome a spirit of unity, and forcing a premature vote would not have the intended effect. I am optimistic that we will reach a consensus in due time.”

A similar theme emerged when Councilmember Clint Holland and Brown introduced a resolution declaring that Peachtree City would not use local funds to “harbor illegal immigrants.” Johnson believed the resolution addressed a problem that did not exist. Before the vote, she consulted with the assistant police chief, who confirmed there was no issue to fix. As Johnson explained:

“Peachtree City is not a sanctuary city. We have an exceptional police force, we follow the law, and we verify our status with the state every single year.”

On that basis, she voted no. While her colleagues used the resolution to make a symbolic point, Johnson chose to keep the council’s focus on practical governance and issues that directly affect residents.

Delivering Results

By 2024, the lessons of Johnson’s first year were clear in how she shaped council priorities. She helped identify goals that resonated with residents: expanding cart paths, investing in recreation, improving amenities such as making the splash pad free, and tackling traffic congestion. These weren’t flashy partisan crusades but practical objectives drawn directly from citizen input.

The splash pad debate captured that approach. For years, the city charged families to use the taxpayer-funded water play area at Glenloch Park, sending many instead to free options in Fayetteville and Newnan. Johnson, a mother of five, immediately saw the policy as counterproductive. She supported making the amenity free, and by May 2025 she was at the ribbon-cutting for the “free splash pad at Glenloch Park.” It was a visible win that showed her ability to build consensus and deliver results.

Her approach wasn’t limited to parks and recreation. On November 21, 2024, the council considered a resolution to expand the senior property tax exemption. The measure proposed raising the household income threshold from $30,000 to $60,000, substantially increasing the number of seniors who could qualify. The resolution passed on a 3-2 vote, with Johnson joining Mayor Kim Learnard and then-Councilmember Frank Destadio in support. Suzanne Brown and Clint Holland voted against it.

This episode underscored Johnson’s pragmatic streak. Rather than push for extremes, she backed a plan that meaningfully expanded tax relief while staying within the city’s fiscal means. Alongside her push to make the splash pad free, it showed how she had shifted from learning the ropes to solving problems: a councilmember who can deliver practical wins without letting ideology get in the way.

An Anchor Amid the Storm

As Johnson’s confidence grew, the contrast with her peers became sharper. Brown, elected the same year as Johnson, often leaned into confrontational politics and populist rallying cries. The difference was never clearer than during the recent 2025 budget showdown when Brown and Holland derailed approval of the $58 million budget after months of staff work and public hearings.

For city staff already preparing to implement the budget, the move was a shock. Johnson and Mayor Learnard were blindsided too, but Johnson didn’t respond with theatrics. Instead, she held the line, insisting the city not toss aside six months of transparent process at the eleventh hour. “I can’t be a responsible representative for our citizens to agree to something that they have not had the opportunity to weigh in on,” she said in Thursday’s council meeting. Her refusal to capitulate to “my way or no way” ultimatums kept the city from making rash decisions that could have shut down operations or gutted services.

Holland, meanwhile, pushed for what he called a “full rollback,” even though state law had already frozen property values under House Bill 581, effectively guaranteeing no increase in the city’s portion of property taxes. Johnson called out the process for what it was: irresponsible governance. She reminded her colleagues that if changes of that scale were truly desired, they belonged in the months of budget workshops, not sprung on staff and citizens at final approval.

In the end, the budget did pass—not through last-minute brinkmanship, but as a result of a hard-won compromise. After the initial contentious motions failed to find a majority, the council members were compelled to find a way forward. Johnson’s principled stance, refusing to support motions that lacked public input, helped create an environment where the council collectively reached a consensus, ultimately voting unanimously to approve the final budget. This preserved essential services, funded critical needs like police vehicles and fire staffing, and kept the city on stable financial footing.

A Leader Worth Watching

After nearly two years, Johnson has become a fantastic councilmember for our community. She asks pointed questions in meetings, keeps discussions tied to citizen priorities, and brings a calm, measured presence to debates.

She has also shown how to balance principle with pragmatism. Her values of fiscal prudence, support for families, and responsible governance guide her decisions, but they don’t keep her from finding common ground. When compromise is possible, she helps build it. When it isn’t, she takes a clear stand without turning opponents into enemies.

The results are tangible: from the free splash pad at Glenloch Park to expanded senior tax relief, as well as improved infrastructure and stable governance. These accomplishments matter far more than the political points scored through grandstanding resolutions and speeches.

I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what kind of councilmember Johnson would become. But she has moved from an unknown quantity to a stabilizing force, a consensus builder, and above all, a leader that serves us well. 

Hopefully, what we’ve seen so far is only the beginning of Johnson’s impact on Peachtree City.