Sacramento has found a mayoral candidate who is prepared to lead—homegrown athlete, education visionary, community activist and philanthropist Kevin Johnson. We are proud to endorse him for mayor.

We have grown impatient with incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo, who seems incapable of grasping Sacramento’s sky-high potential. We are disappointed that she has shown little passion for anything except establishing consensus for its own sake. Replacing action with consensus has led to a growing city budget deficit, left the railyards undeveloped, caused the riverfront to be squandered as a public asset and fostered tolerance for too much crime. It has also meant that an outsider, former Gov. Pete Wilson, had to fill the local leadership vacuum by negotiating an arena deal for the Sacramento Kings.

The one Republican in the race, if he even remains a candidate, has called for tax increases. Raising taxes in the face of a declining economy is plain stupid. We do not endorse candidates who traffic in stupid policies.

Johnson has earned our endorsement for his demonstrated leadership. A native of Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood, he stood out as an exceptional youngster and basketball talent. Always an undisputed leader on the court, he became a star at the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to a successful NBA career.

Finishing his days as a professional athlete, Johnson enjoyed a wide choice of career options. He could have gone almost anywhere. But he had the passion and heart to return to Sacramento, where he has been restoring his old neighborhood and now seeks to improve the city as a whole. His plans for economic revitalization are showing signs of success.

We are disappointed that Fargo has attacked Johnson personally rather than dealing with the issues that divide them. We dismiss her charges as part of the culture of negative campaigns that detract from solving community problems. Whatever mistakes Johnson has made have been ones of commission, not omission. Fargo would know little of the former since she has demonstrated scant initiative or imagination. In this contest, we prefer Johnson’s sometimes imperfect action to Fargo’s consistently perfect inaction.

We have been most impressed by how Johnson has tackled the failing schools in Oak Park, which have left too many minority youngsters unprepared for college or sustainable employment.  Johnson laid out an ambitious plan to convert Sacramento High School into a charter school to ensure that students would receive the quality education they need and deserve. He encountered formidable opposition from those determined to hold onto the failing status quo, including the powerful teachers’ union. Yet Johnson persevered and has produced a graduating class this year that has real hope for the future.

Some have compared Johnson’s uplifting rhetoric to that of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. As orators, the comparison is apt. But that is where the similarities stop. While Obama’s record has been nothing but rhetoric, Johnson has proven that he can lead. While Obama has stuck to simple, outdated liberal solutions to national problems, Johnson has approached issues pragmatically, each on its distinct merits. Early in the primaries, we endorsed Obama for the Democratic nomination but have been disappointed by his performance since. We expect much more of Johnson, who is more action than talk.

Whether it is on the basketball court or in the community, Johnson is a natural leader.  He is prepared to take controversial stands if he believes they are right. He is the only mayoral candidate with the courage to stand up for traditional marriage. He has put his own money into a neighborhood that most had abandoned. He plunged into the charter school fight, taking on the entire education and labor establishment. He is unsatisfied with Sacramento’s limited progress and recognizes that it has a limitless future.

Sacramento has grown rapidly in the past few decades and could become one of the major metropolitan areas in the nation.  We need a no-nonsense leader who possesses the principles and determination to get things done. Johnson is no typical politician: He is more concerned about the next generation than about the next election.

At this critical juncture, Kevin Johnson is the right man at the right moment for Sacramento.