About Our County Administrator

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David W. Johnston

David W. Johnston, ICMA-CM, joins the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas as its third County Administrator. 

David comes from Covington, KY where he served as City Manager from 2017 to 2021. During that time, he raised the city’s Moody Bond rating to A2 status, effectively addressed blighted properties and poverty, successfully guided a major redevelopment effort and renewed focus on customer service within city government that improved staff morale.

As a result, Covington was awarded “City of the Year 2020-2021” by the Kentucky League of Cities and ‘One of the 50 Transformative Smart Initiatives in the World – 2021” by Smart Cities Connect as well as the IEDC 2021 Bronze Award for Neighborhood & Retail Development for Covington’s Small Business Assistance Program that he started in 2017.

David holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University, with a concentration in Urban and Regional Planning, as well as a Certificate in Economic Development from the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute.

He is a credentialed manager with the International City/County Manager Association (ICMA), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) and the National League of Cities (NLC).