As a thousand protesters lined Heber City’s Main Street at October’s No Kings rally, Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson stood in the crowd at Zions Bank’s drive-through exit in a homemade statement dress that put her in league with politicians like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and recent Senate candidate Caroline Gleich.
And she directed traffic while protesting.
“I think I’m in charge of the world. That’s just my nature,” Johnson said. “When I saw that we were blocking their exit, I moved the crowd a few times. But not a problem. Everyone was very willing. Then the last car that came through, he just backed up and went out.”
Johnson became the mayor of Midway in 2018 and is not seeking reelection. She will finish her second term on Dec. 31.
The rally was Johnson’s third time protesting the Trump administration this year. She attended April’s Hands Off march at the state Capitol, then was in Heber for both No Kings protests.
“I decided I wanted to be very clear about the fact that I was an elected official, so my sign last time said, ‘This mayor is opposed to: tyranny, fascism, unkindness,’ but I got so tired holding the sign. Then the night before, I was like, ‘I could wear my sign.’ So I had some fabric, sewed it together, wrote on it and that was my costume,” Johnson said.
She used markers to write “NO Kings” beneath a large, crossed-out yellow crown on her chest and “No!” as many times as possible in a variety of colors on the long-sleeved, full-body white cotton dress.
Heber’s Oct. 18 protest crowd more than doubled attendance from June’s event, and Johnson sensed a change in reception, too.
“In June, we got flipped off a ton and not very many cars honked, very little waving. This one, I only saw three middle fingers, lots of waving and tons of horns honking,” Johnson said. “I felt there was a lot more ‘We agree with you’ feeling. My sister was the penguin and my brother-in-law was one of the unicorns, kind of playing off that whole Portland attitude, which is a little more lighthearted. We’re serious, but we’re not violent. We’re just making it known and I think that’s what people are supporting.”
Johnson has used her bully pulpit to communicate her feelings to Utah’s higher offices.
“The thing that I hope it influences is our national elected officials. I sent a picture of me in my dress to Sen. Curtis’s office. Mike Lee, I’ve given up on, but I’m just putting it out there to say that your constituents, your people that you represent, don’t agree with this. The fact that you are not adamantly opposed to this means you are not representing your people,” Johnson said.
Utah’s municipal elections are non-partisan, a fact that Johnson, a registered Democrat, credits to her election and policy successes.
“We’re able to get things done because we don’t have to pander to a party. I look at the work that we’ve gotten done in Midway, especially when it comes to passing open space bonds. That is typically something that Republicans would not support. If we had had to go through this process and somehow get it through with party support, it wouldn’t have happened,” Johnson said.
Midway voters approved two $5 million bonds for open space funding in 2018 and 2024 that Johnson brought to ballot. The bonds allow Midway to buy development rights and promote conservation easements while property owners maintain ownership of their land.
“It’s a good example of what happens when people who just care about their communities come together and are willing to throw their hat in the ring, go through the election process and work together toward solutions for the community. To me, that’s utopia,” Johnson said. “When you go out on a state level now, and all of a sudden, you declare your political affiliation, really good people who care about their communities, who understand their communities, aren’t getting elected because they don’t have an R after their name, and I think that’s tragic.”
Johnson cites firsthand experience at the state Legislature leading to her political awakening.
“I registered at 18 as a Republican because that’s what my parents were,” Johnson said. “At 19 and 20, I worked for the Utah House of Representatives. The representatives I was assigned to were the 10 most senior Democrats. Listening to the arguments on the floor, seeing the bills that were being presented, it became very clear to me that I was not a Republican. From that point on, I’ve been a registered Democrat.”
Johnson equated her beginning as mayor to “drinking from a fire hose.” After three years, she felt comfortable enough to see how another term would provide a chance to continue her work. She won her second term unopposed. A third term was never in question.
“I believe in term limits, for one thing,” Johnson said.
Regarding her successor, Johnson has only met candidate Miller Wright once, but has worked with Craig Simons in his capacity as city councilor.
“Craig has been on many committees. He’s been on the planning commission. He’s been on the City Council for two years. He came to me about a year ago and said, ‘I’m seriously thinking of running for mayor and I’d like to get immersed and learn as much as I can.’ That’s hard to turn down. I said, ‘Great.’ Our styles are different, but our goals and objectives are very similar,” Johnson said. “I felt like I could step away and know that Midway was in good hands.”
Four married children have brought Johnson 13 grandchildren, and she looks forward to sharing more time with family and friends after her term ends. She will also continue to work with A Bolder Way Forward, the state-supported program designed to help women, girls and families thrive.