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The following OBSERVER interview with Mayor Johnson provides some of his own perspectives on his first year as Mayor of Sacramento:

OBSERVER: What is it like to be mayor of Sacramento?

Kevin Johnson: Serving as mayor of Sacramento is the job of a lifetime. I ran for office because I love Sacramento and want to help our city reach its potential as a world-class destination center and an ideal place to raise a family, run a business, and have a productive, enjoyable life. The job has exceeded my expectations 1,000 times over.

OBSERVER: What have you accomplished thus far?

KJ: The list of accomplishments is long, and can be viewed entirely at my Web site, kevinjohnsonformayor.com. our ability to lower crime rates and hold the line against public safety cuts were huge for Sacramento.

I am very proud of our Volunteer Initiative, which encouraged Sacramentans to give 8,000 hours in service to their community. My work toward efficient and open government brought City Hall to people who had never interacted with municipal government as we held Town Halls and Office Hours in every council district this year.

My Arts Initiative, “For Art’s Sake,” helped stimulate interest across the region in arts education and financing, and resulted in Sacramento being chosen for a new education partnership with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

I formed task forces to imagine the K Street Corridor and to build a new Entertainment and Sports Complex.

And I am proud of our work trying to end homelessness. We have found winter shelter for our most desperate residents, and are on course to provide 2,300 new units of housing in upcoming years.

OBSERVER: What issues would you like to accomplish in 2010 and why?

KJ: The initiatives we began in 2009 will continue in the new year, with a focus on job creation, economic development, and a drive to update our city charter and adopt an executive mayor style of government, which will increase the accountability at City Hall.

OBSERVER: What issues you were not able to accomplish in 2009, and what are your plans to get them accomplished?

KJ: There is one large disappointment … that I could not persuade the city council to adopt my proposals for a financial review and audit sooner. The council finally acted, but months after my first proposal, and only after problems surfaced in the city’s building department. I wish the city could establish a greater reserve fund during the budget crisis. I will push for greater budget reserves in 2010.

OBSERVER: What is the toughest part about your job?

KJ: There aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all of the initiatives required to make Sacramento a first-class destination city.