Supervisor Buster Johnson was first elected to office in November 1996 and will continue to serve
until December 2024.
Supervisor Johnson served in the U.S. Army, he’s a retired L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy, and a
retired private business owner. Supervisor Johnson is currently serving his sixth term as Mohave
County Supervisor for District III.
As well as serving as the District III Supervisor, Johnson also has served on various local, state and
federal boards. Supervisor Johnson is the first elected official to have served as President of the
Arizona Association of Counties (AACo). AACo represents each Arizona county and its elected
officials by serving as a liaison to the Arizona State Legislature, United States Congress, other
governmental agencies, the media and the public.
Johnson is currently chairman of the Quadstate Local Government Authority which is a joint authority
established between Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. The Authority was organized to provide
a multi-county voice on federal natural resource management and public lands issues primarily in
the Mojave Desert region. The Quadstate Coalition encompasses over 50,000 square miles in the
Southwest.
Supervisor Johnson also Co-chairs the Arizona/Utah Economic Development Coalition. The
coalition was established to engage the Interior Secretary and his employees in the coordination
process required by the Federal Land Policy Management Act and the National Environmental
Policy Act. As co-chair of the coalition, he has testified in Washington D.C. on the economic impact
to Mohave County and the surrounding areas of allowing uranium mining near the Arizona Strip.
Johnson was one of a select group of 19 elected county leaders from across the U.S. to participate
in the 8th Annual County Leadership Institute (CLI), a rigorous program developed by NACo and the
Cambridge Leadership Associates. It was a five-day Institute, held in Washington, D.C., that
challenged the county officials to consider innovative approaches to address key issues facing their
home county and residents. Supervisor Johnson was recommended by state elected officials and
then chosen from applicants nationwide by the National Association of Counties (NACo) to attend.
Johnson currently serves as Vice Chairman of NACo’s Information Technology Standing Committee
and is also a member of NACo’s Public Lands Steering Committee. At a local level, Johnson is Vice
Chair of Lake Havasu’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) which provides open leadership
and guidance for regional transportation planning through a cooperative effort with state and local
officials. Johnson also serves as Vice Chair for the Mohave County Public Safety Retirement Board
and Chairman of the Mohave County Correction Office Retirement Plan.
In prior years, Johnson has served on the Western Arizona Council of Governments Economic
Development District (WACOG) where he served as the first President of the
organization. Supervisor Johnson was also the founding member and past Chairman and Vice
Chairman of the Colorado River Sewer Coalition which is an organization of diverse membership
from California, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico formed to address water quality issues of the lower
Colorado River. Supervisor Johnson has been appointed to state committees on property
assessments and property tax appeals. Both of which met to analyze issues involving the property
tax appeals process and to submit legislative recommendations to the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Supervisor Johnson has also been involved in many County organizations and committees. He is
past chairman of the Mohave County Republican Central Committee, former President for six years
of the local International Footprint Association Chapter 75 which is a law enforcement support group;
and also past Grand President of International Footprint Association. He has sat on the RUDAT
committee for Lake Havasu City as well as Lake Havasu City’s “Vision” Planning
Committee. Supervisor Johnson is also the Past President of the Mohave County Municipal
Property Corporation and former Vice Chairman of the Workforce Investment Act Board in Mohave
and LaPaz Counties.
Throughout the years Supervisor Johnson has been involved in numerous causes. One of which is
the fight to protect the women and children of Colorado City for over fourteen years. He has brought
national attention to the issue of Polygamy happening in the state and surrounding
areas. Supervisor Johnson has opposed any legislation in favor of polygamist acts by testifying in
Phoenix on the abuse. He traveled to Texas to give his expert opinion on the FLDS church and
polygamy. He has also appeared in many documentaries on the topic. Supervisor Johnson has
assisted in the rescue of families from Colorado City, prosecution of offenders and has assisted in
relief efforts to help those that have escaped.
Supervisor Johnson was the only elected official from Mohave County to recognize the dangerous of
dumping effluent waste water into Lake Mead. He has testified and has been asked to testify in DC
regarding public land issues and cyber security. He opposed the Citizens Utility rate hike and more
recently opposed and testified against Unisource’s proposed demand charges and rate
increase. Johnson also has opposed and testified against the US Fish and Wildlife’s closure of
Colorado River water in the Havasu Refuge jurisdiction. Supervisor Johnson brought in one of the
finest public libraries and senior centers in the state to Lake Havasu City. He also worked to
remodel the senior center in Golden Shores. Throughout Johnson’s term as Supervisor he has been
instrumental in bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in new industry to Mohave County along
with thousands of local jobs. He has also supported tourism in the area by bringing in hydroplane
racing and a free air show to Mohave County.