editor’s note: Each week during the legislative sesson, Denver Post political reporters will sit down with Capitol newsmakers. This Q&A was edited for length. Read the full version on our political blog at:
Johnston last spring was appointed to the northeast Denver Senate seat held by Peter Groff, who resigned to take an education post in President Barack Obama’s administration.
Johnston is the senior policy adviser for New Leaders for New Schools, a nonprofit he co-founded that recruits and trains principals for urban schools. He previously served as principal of the Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts in Adams County, the first public high school in the state of Colorado to get all of its seniors admitted to a four-year college.
Johnston, 35, was raised in Vail. He and his wife Courtney, an assistant district attorney, have twin sons, Seamus and Emmet, who turned 2 in October.
Q: You had an education bill linked to Race to the Top signed by the governor on Day 3 of the session. What do you think of your fast track?
A: It was an incredibly exciting first three days. It was possible because leadership here in both parties made it happen. To me, it was really a moving example of how people are willing to work together on issues they believe are important.
Q: When you were working at Mapleton, you moonlighted as a key adviser to presidential candidate Barack Obama on education. What do think of how he’s being received?
A: One of the things he said on the campaign is change is always hard. He knew that. You don’t take on a health care system that hasn’t been changed in multiple generations in dramatic ways without people getting nervous. He had the nerve to spend political capital on what he thinks is most important.
Q: You showed up with only one of your twins on opening day. Why?
A: My wife Courtney was driving them in and right as she pulled into the Capitol, Seamus threw up all over himself. We thought about trying to run to a store and find him another pair of clothes but he threw up again so we decided not to. My mom took Seamus home and we took Emmet.
The funny thing is, Seamus was fine the rest of the day — must have been his nerves about first day of session.
Interviewed by Denver Post staff writer Lynn Bartels
