Johnson elected first woman mayor

    Sandra Johnson became Washington?s first elected female mayor Tuesday after winning 76 percent of the vote. Johnson captured 581 of the 765 votes cast for mayor, while write-in challenger Norm Bruty received 184 votes, or 24 percent of the total.

    Johnson has served as the mayor of Washington for roughly one year and had served on the city council prior to that. She said that this election was very different from the others.

    ?I didn?t have someone mount a campaign against me before,? said Johnson. ?I?ve never gone through this where there is a write-in against any elected position.?

    Johnson said that she did have some nerves before learning of the results.

    ?Was I scared? A little,? she said. ?I wouldn?t say I was tense. I was anxious. I?m just glad it?s over.?

    Johnson said it is a humbling experience to be elected Washington?s first female mayor.

    ?It took nearly 150 years for Washington to elect its first female mayor,? she said.

    At the same time, Johnson stressed how many women before her had broken through the glass ceiling.

    ?I think the women?s movement started long before I entered this earth,? said Johnson. ?If you look back at when women got the right to vote, it was 90 years ago. I don?t think I?ve done anything phenomenal.?

    Johnson said there is a long history of politically active women in Washington County, and added that it was simply an ?anomaly? that the city of Washington had never voted in a woman as mayor.