Johnson will not seek re-election in Ward 6

Rochester City Council Member Annalissa Johnson has announced she will not seek re-election in Ward 6.

In a Facebook post Friday morning, the first-term councilor cited the need to devote more attention to her small business as the primary reason for stepping back. Johnson owns and operates Good Dog Camp in Rochester.

“I have experienced firsthand how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic is to our community and our local businesses,” she wrote.

“During this extraordinary time, it has become clear to me that my business demands my attention to recover and rebound. Due to this, I have made the decision not to seek a second term. I believe Ward 6 deserves a representative who is able to work full time to leverage our City resources to lead our community.”

Johnson was elected in 2016 after defeating Patrick Day in an open contest for the seat, which had previously been held by Sandra Means.

As of Friday, only one candidate had filed for the Ward 6 position. That person is Todd Pisarski, a retired Army officer and accountant. Like other challengers who filed this week, Pisarski said he made the decision to enter the race after learning of the council/mayor pay increases.

“Clearly, people responsible for the city governance structure are not ‘in this all together’ with the rest of the residents because somehow the mayor and council members feel they deserved that doubling of a pay increase while cutting needed services — this is not about dog poop bags,” he said.

“I believe priority to rolling back those pay hikes is a good start, especially while every corner of our society is suffering with business closure and loss, furloughs, pay cuts, job loss and the suffering and anxiety that causes.”

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.