Mayor Van Johnson named African American Mayors Association president
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSAV) — The African American Mayors Association (AAMA) is proud to announce that Mayor Van R. Johnson II of Savannah, Georgia, has been appointed as President of the national nonprofit organization. Mayor Johnson was officially sworn in on Friday, April 18, at the conclusion of AAMA's annual conference in Washington, DC.
'As we continue to build on the legacy of the African American Mayors Association and advocate for the needs of the over 500 mayors within our growing organization, I am delighted to welcome Mayor Van R. Johnson II as our new President,' said AAMA CEO, Phyllis Dickerson. 'Mayor Johnson's dedication to public service and his innovative approach to city leadership make him a perfect choice to lead our organization into the future. We are eager to support his vision for our member cities and communities. I also want to thank Mayor Steven Reed for his incredible service to our cities and our organization this past year.
During his term, Mayor Reed elevated the organization's national profile and expanded its reach through bold initiatives centered on equity and opportunity. He convened AAMA's inaugural Voting Rights Summit in partnership with When We All Vote, brought a delegation of Black mayors to Silicon Valley to forge connections with tech and venture capital leaders, and launched The Forum with the Black Economic Alliance Foundation to accelerate Black economic mobility.
'Serving as President of the African American Mayors Association has been one of the most fulfilling roles I've ever taken on. Together, we advanced bold ideas around economic mobility, fairness, and innovation—because our communities deserve nothing less,' said outgoing AAMA President Mayor Steven Reed. As I pass the baton to Mayor Van Johnson, I do so with pride and optimism. He brings the leadership, passion, and vision needed to take this organization to even greater heights.'
Mayor Johnson, a lifelong public servant and leader, has served as Mayor of Savannah since 2020. He is recognized for his commitment to equity, community engagement, and sustainable growth in one of Georgia's most historic cities. Previously, Johnson served four terms as alderman for the Savannah City Council's 1st District. Prior to his election as AAMA President, Mayor Johnson served as the organization's Treasurer and has been an active member of the Board of Trustees.
'I am deeply honored to serve as President of the African American Mayors Association,' said Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson II. 'I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to advocate for the needs of our cities at the national level. Together, we will continue to address the pressing challenges facing our communities, from public safety and economic opportunity to health equity and infrastructure investment.'
During his one-year term as AAMA President, Mayor Johnson plans to focus on strengthening public safety, supporting minority-owned businesses, fostering workforce development, and championing equitable infrastructure investments. He also aims to enhance collaboration with federal partners and drive forward policies that improve quality of life for residents in cities across the country.
Mayor Johnson's 2025 AAMA policy priorities are focused on the theme 'Let's Build,' building new relationships, building AAMA's capacity areas and building AAMA's legacy.
In addition to announcing its 2025 president, AAMA also approved its Board of Trustees during the Annual Conference:
1st Vice President – Mayor Brandon Scott (Baltimore, MD)
2nd Vice President – Mayor Phillip Jones (Newport News, VA)
Treasurer – Mayor Errick Simmons (Greenville, MS)
Secretary – Mayor LaToya Cantrell (New Orleans, LA)
President Emeritus – Mayor Steven Reed (Montgomery, AL)
President Emeritus – Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard (Mt. Vernon, NY)
President Emeritus – Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. (Little Rock, AR)
Board Member – Mayor Vince Williams (Union City, GA)
Board Member – Mayor Eric Adams (New York, NY)
Board Member – Mayor Kim Thomas (Richmond Heights, OH)
Board Member – Mayor Vi Lyles (Charlotte, NC)
Board Member – Mayor Leonardo Williams (Durham, NC)
Board Member – Mayor Keith James (West Palm Beach. FL)
Board Member – Mayor Victoria Woodards (Tacoma, VA)
Board Member – Mayor Bruce Harrell (Seattle, WA)
Board Member – Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert (New Rochelle, NY)
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Speaker Johnson teases follow-ups to the ‘one big, beautiful bill'
The 'one big, beautiful bill' may not be so singular, after all. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is teasing follow-up legislation to the megabill of President Trump's tax cut and spending priorities that Republicans can push though using the same special budget reconciliation process that requires only GOP votes. That tool can be used once per fiscal year, with the current fiscal year ending on Sept. 30. So after Republicans are done with the 'big, beautiful bill,' the GOP trifecta has, in theory, two more shots to muscle through party-line legislation before the next Congress comes into power after the midterms. Johnson floated plans for a second reconciliation bill while rebutting concerns from deficit hawks on the budget impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which includes an extension of tax cuts and boosts to border and defense funding, with costs offset in part by new requirements on low-income assistance programs like Medicaid and food aid. 'Everyone here wants to reduce spending,' Johnson said Friday morning on CNBC. 'But you have to do that in a sequence of events. We have a plan, OK? This is the first of a multistep process.' 'We're going to have another reconciliation bill that follows this one, possibly a third one before this Congress is up, because you can have a reconciliation bill for each budget year, each fiscal year. So that's ahead of us,' Johnson continued, also pointing to separate plans to claw back money based on recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 'We're also doing rescissions packages. We got the first one delivered this week from the White House, and that will codify many of the DOGE cuts.' The promise of another reconciliation bill is somewhat surprising given the crux of the debate that dominated the early weeks of the year: Should Republicans divide up their agenda into two bills, passing the first quickly to give Trump an early win on boosting funding for border enforcement and deportations? Or would putting all of Trump's priorities into one bill — which would contain both bitter pills and sweeteners for different factions of the razor-thin majority — be a better political strategy? Trump eventually said he preferred 'one big, beautiful bill,' a moniker that became the legislation's official title in the House last month. It's not clear what would be in a second piece of legislation. Multiple House Republicans who spoke with The Hill were unaware of plans for more reconciliation bills and were not sure what could be included in them. 'I think we need to see what's left on the table after the first one,' Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) said. And to muster through multiple reconciliation bills is a delicate prospect. If members know more reconciliation bills are coming, that complicates the argument that everything in the current package — even policies some factions dislike that others love — need to stay in one megabill. The Speaker declined to elaborate on what might be in such a package when asked in a press conference last week. 'I'm not going to tell you that,' Johnson said. 'Let's get the first one done.' 'Look, I say this is the beginning of a process, and what you're going to see is a continuing of us identifying waste, fraud, abuse in government, which is our pledge of common sense, restoring common sense and fiscal sanity. So we have lots of ideas of things that might be in that package.' Republicans had started planning for the current legislative behemoth months before the 2024 election so they would be prepared to quickly execute on their policy wish list if they won the majority. 'This isn't something we just drew up overnight. So, we'll go through that same laborious process,' Johnson said. But some members have ideas of what else they'd like to see. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said that he'd hope a second bill would do more to tackle rolling back green energy tax credits and make further spending cuts. Ultimately, though, it will be Trump's call, Norman said: 'I know when the president gets involved, it adds a lot of value.' And Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) speculated that passing the 'big, beautiful bill' would inspire members to keep going with another bill. 'People like the feeling of winning,' Pfluger said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Republicans Offer Cowardly Lack Of Pushback To Hegseth Suggesting Marines Could Quell Protests
Congressional Republicans have offered a disturbing lack of pushback to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggesting that active-duty Marines could be sent to quell immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles. 'I don't think that's heavy-handed,' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said when asked about Hegseth's proposal on ABC News's 'This Week.' Hegseth raised the idea in a post on X Saturday evening, writing, 'If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized.' His remarks come after President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Saturday, a move that's not typically made without the support of a state's governor, which he does not currently have. The White House has claimed that it took this step because it's addressing violence at these protests that targeted ICE offices and agents, while California leaders have said that they don't needthe troops. The deployment of active-duty Marines would be another major escalation and a move that's rarely employed by a president in response to protests. 'The deployment of active-duty troops under federal authority in response to civil unrest is a rare step, one that usually requires the president to find under the Insurrection Act that they are needed to enforce the law or restore order,' write The Wall Street Journal's Eliza Collins and Nancy A. Youssef. 'The George H.W. Bush administration deployed US Marines to help restore order after violent protests erupted in California in the wake of the 1992 acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King…[marking] the last invocation of the Insurrection Act.' During Trump's first term, Defense Secretary Mark Esper stated that active duty military should only be used to respond to protests in 'the most urgent and dire of situations,' and that 'we are not in one of those situations now,' breaking with the president. Rather than criticizing Hegseth's post about Marines, however, Johnson and other Republicans have either been open to the idea or declined to denounce it. 'You don't think sending Marines into the streets of an American city is heavy handed?' ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl asked Johnson. 'We have to be prepared to do what is necessary and I think the notice that that might happen might have the deterring effect,' Johnson responded. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) also declined to repudiate the idea directly, when asked about it on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Instead, he said 'it won't be necessary,' because the National Guard's response will be sufficient. And Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) downplayed the role of the Marines in a possible response without rejecting Hegseth's statement out of hand. 'Active-duty Marines are not going to be put into local law enforcement,' Lankford said on NBC News's 'Meet the Press.' 'They would be in support roles on it, as we have at the border. We have active-duty military at the border, but they're not doing law enforcement tasks. They're doing logistical tasks behind the scenes.' 'Local law enforcement should take care of this, but again when you're seeing burning cars and federal law enforcement and law enforcement being attacked on the streets…we want to make sure those protests don't spiral out of control,' Lankford said. Democrats have emphasized that Trump's use of the National Guard is only adding tension in Los Angeles, and have been incredulous at the possibility of active-duty military being sent in as well. 'The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens,' Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a Sunday post on X. 'This is deranged behavior.'
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lexington councilwoman Denise Gray won't seek reelection, cites harassment
Lexington councilwoman Denise Gray will not seek reelection, she announced Sunday afternoon. Gray said after much prayer and reflection, she decided to not seek a second term as the sixth-district councilperson for the Lexington Fayette County Urban Government. 'Serving you, my neighbors, my hometown community, and the district where I was raised has been an honor that words can hardly capture,' Gray stated in a press release. 'Together we've asked hard questions, challenged the status quo, and worked toward a more just and equitable Lexington. I am proud of what we've built.' Gray said her decision to not run again for a Lexington council seat was a result of treatment by media following her sexual assault allegations against former council member Brenda Monarrez. Monarrez was accused of sexual assault against Gray in August 2024. On Aug. 8, 2024, Gray applied for a restraining order, called an interpersonal protection order, alleging Monarrez was sexually aggressive toward her on two occasions over the prior three years. In October, District Judge Traci Brislin granted a three-year restraining order between the two women and found sexual assault did occur. 'I believe an actual sexual assault occurred, and it may occur again,' Brislin said. 'The court believes that this has happened on not one, but two separate occasions.' Sexual assault under state statue also includes sexual abuse. No criminal charges have been filed against Monarrez. Gray said her decision to not seek reelection wasn't easy. 'The lack of empathy and disregard for my humanity during that time was not only hurtful, but it was also a painful reminder of the barriers Black women too often face when we speak truth and stand in our power,' Gray said. 'Despite that treatment, I continued to show up and serve with courage, compassion, and commitment. But I will not pretend it did not affect me, it did.' Gray was elected in November 2022 to represent Lexington's sixth district, which stretches along Lexington's north and east sides with Paris Pike, Winchester, Liberty, Man O'War and Bryan Station roads as major corridors. As a result of the sexual assault claims, Monarrez was banned from entering city hall and Democratic party events. Monarrez, who represented district four, lost her seat to Emma Curtis in November 2024. Staff reporter Beth Musgrave contributed to this story.
