Johnna Barnes begins campaign for Chelsea City Council Place 1

Published 9:29 am Thursday, May 1, 2025

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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – Having lived in Chelsea for most of her life and built a connection with many throughout the city, Johnna Barnes has kicked off her campaign for Place 1 on the Chelsea City Council.

Barnes’ campaign comes to the surface after current Place 1 City Councilman Cody Sumners announced his mayoral campaign in January as he looks to succeed current mayor Tony Picklesimer.

A bus driver for Shelby County Schools since 1995, Barnes grew up in Westover, but has lived in Chelsea for more than 40 years, becoming involved and known for being close with the city’s residents. She has also been a part of the city’s Citizen Observer Patrol program since 2022, the Chelsea Mental Health Action Committee since 2024 and the Chelsea Board of Zoning Adjustments Committee since 2024.

Having seen the city grow and change, Barnes joined many others in campaigning in opposition to the proposed Chelsea City School system and necessary property tax in 2022, which is what led her to want to help drive her initiative of making Chelsea’s voices heard.

“I started out just putting out signs for that campaign, and then I got to where I was interacting with the people that I would put the signs in the yard,” Barnes said. “I heard so many stories about things that they had been told from a City Council member or specifically the Mayor at that time, and they said they felt like they would be told one thing, and something else would be done. They didn’t feel like they were being heard.”

Having consistently attended the pre-council and City Council meetings over the last two years, Barnes has seen and heard many of the decisions made by the current administration.

Despite not being a political figure, she hopes to help the city put more focus on the city’s growth and ensure it happens at a responsible and balanced rate to keep Chelsea an optimal place for families to settle into, while also helping infrastructure services to keep up.

“The future is not just today, it’s in the coming years for our kids, our grandkids and everybody that that touches in this city,” Barnes said. “I just want to be a part of making it the best it can be using some common sense to know that there’s going to be growth, but there needs to be a way to monitor it, to keep it to where growth comes but it doesn’t make the city so unnoticeable.”

Barnes’ husband, Robert, served in Place 1 from 2008-2012. When it comes to this campaign, that memory is something that drives her to make her own impact on her city.

“Just because if I were to win, I’m not going to go in there and just say, ‘yes,’ because that’s what everybody else is doing,” Barnes said. “I want to be a voice, I want to be heard and I want to research everything that comes across to know that we’re making the right choice for each thing that comes into the city to be looked at, to be planned, to be voted on.”

Place 1 on the Chelsea City Council is the only spot where a definite change will be made. Scott Weygand, Chris Grace, Arthur Fisher Jr. and Casey Morris are all running for reelection for their respective seats in 2025.

The municipal election for the 2025 election cycle will take place on Aug. 26.