Ken Johnstone was the former Community Development Director at City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Ken cared deeply about this city—so much so that it drove him crazy when someone bad-mouthed it. If a contractor or resident got tangled in the bureaucratic mess, Ken was the first to step in and help. And if the city had messed up, he wasn’t one to make excuses—he owned it. I can’t tell you how many times I’d see complaints on Facebook about the permitting or inspection process, and I’d call Ken to get the real story. More often than not, it was a contractor trying to cut corners or skip permits altogether. Blaming the city was the easy way out, and that always got under his skin.
Ken wasn’t someone I pictured as an outdoorsman. The suit and tie, the serious expression, and that steady, low voice always meant one thing—business. But here’s what I loved about Ken: even when a conversation started with a “no,” it never ended there. He always had options, solutions, possibilities.
As a real estate broker working with investors, builders, and homeowners, I’ve dealt with a lot of city halls, each with their own stack of codes, international codes, and more opinions on adding codes. But Ken was different. He made it all make sense. Sure, he didn’t always agree with every rule, but he fought to make sure the process was fair for everyone. He made the system better.
On LinkedIn, Ken described himself as “passionate about building public/private partnerships that build successful outcomes for both the public and private sectors.” He truly meant that!
I only knew Ken in his work life, but I love learning more about him now—his love for fishing, camping, and traveling. And I can’t help but laugh when I think about the night of that community meeting when he was so frustrated trying to convince me that short-term rentals were a good thing. I know he’s up there laughing now as I get ready to manage my second one.
Ken made a difference in this city, and he made a difference to me. He was one of the good ones, and he’ll be missed.
