Dave Johnson Seeks Election as Mayor of Havasu City
Also known as “River Dave,” Dave Johnson says he’s no politician but there are problems in Havasu that need fixed.
“I’m not a politician, but I’m running for Mayor, reason being,” he said, ” is I’ve watched the city make some massive changes and none for the better.”
He stated that the Federal guidelines have changed to lower levels of arsenic and manganese in the water. He said the city has just built a new water testing lab and he’s not too concerned about that.
As for Algal blooms in Lake Havasu, he said, “We’ve had a problem with that once or twice in the last 16 years, but there’s no problem with that now.”
Moving forward, he sees budget management is the key.
“We are spending money on a bunch of wants and ignoring our needs,” Johnson replied. “Mainly, our allocation for roads in 2027 is $2M while our allocation for water and infrastructure is $3.5M which is 5-10 times lower than it should be.”
For the future, he stated, “bringing in real industry, having air surface here, fixing infrastructure and city beautification.”
Havasu Mayoral candidate Dave Johnson said his biggest concern was chromium in the water that no one is talking about.
“What we will have to do is to remove chromium from our ground and water supply, unless we want to be the next Hinkley,” Johnson said.
He was referring to Hinkley, CA, a town defended by Erin Brockovich between 1952 and 1966 when Pacific Gas and Electric used Hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) to prevent rust in their natural gas cooling towers and dumped into ponds. That incident led to a $333M settlement for residents and leaving Kinkley a virtual ghost town. Decades later, their water supply remains a challenge, according to the Washington Post.
“At the corner of Lake Havasu and Holly Avenue, there’s been an ongoing contamination site and at Grandpa’s Beach, they’ve been pumping it out” Johnson said. “If it’s gets in our water, (Havasu) is the next Hinkley.”
Why should residents vote for him?
“We have had the same regime in charge for eight years as mayor, and four as a city councilor with no measurable accomplishments,” Mayoral candidate Dave Johnson said. “Just since I’ve been campaigning, I’ve had four airlines wanting to fly in and out of here; they’re vying for the opportunity. I’ve had several companies, industries like Duncan Bolt interested and ready to move in Lake Havasu. If they come, the jobs would be insane.”
