"It's a little tough in this town."

That's how Houston Johansen saw it when he came back to Santa Fe after college. In September, he still didn't have a full-time job.

What he had was a political-science degree, a good speaking voice, a savings account and a plan: to unseat a councilor who has served on the governing body for nearly two decades.

"It is true that I don't have a formal job right this minute," the 25-year-old candidate said during an interview at a house he rents on Rio Grande Avenue just north of downtown.

Johansen lives on money he earned working in Omaha after he graduated from Creighton University in 2010. He volunteers "sweat equity" at a startup called the Santa Fe Innovation Park.

"I pay my bills on time. I don't ask for handouts. Come post-election day, I will return to the workforce. But my priority needs to be this election right now," he said. "This is a big thing I have gone after, and I would just as soon run out of the little bit of money I was able to save and give it all my go, than have 40-hour workweeks and not be able to put in the time to go out there and meet voters and get to know them."

Serving on the City Council, which under the city charter is a part-time policymaking position, pays about $25,000 a year.

From 2005 to 2006, the Santa Fe Prep graduate worked with a high school teacher on One World Coffee and Trade, an enterprise he helped launch while still in school and managed for a year after graduation.

The young, first-time candidate can't escape being compared to Russell Max Simon, another young man who campaigned for a District 1 seat during the last city election and lost it to an older incumbent. Councilor Chris Calvert is now midway through that term.

Like Simon, Johansen returned to Santa Fe and couldn't find a job. Johansen is hoping, however, that the similarities end there. Simon moved to Washington, D.C., after months of unsuccessful job hunting after the election. He eventually started a business there.

"He couldn't get a job in this town," Johansen said. "A talented 27-year-old guy who could not get a job in this town and moved to D.C. to get a job. That alone is an important story about Santa Fe. Somebody wanted to be here and couldn't be here. That is disheartening. It should be different. It can be different."

If he wins the election, Johansen would be only the second 25-year-old to hold a Santa Fe City Council seat since 1994, the year Chris Moore was elected to represent the southeast-side District 2. The youngest current councilor is District 3 Councilor Carmichael Dominguez, 42.

Johansen collected initial campaign donations and applied to participate in the city's public campaign-finance system this fall, but he was a few verified signatures short of getting access to public campaign funds. That means his opponent has $15,000 in city money, and he's trying to collect private donations to cover his costs.

Helping with his campaign is Alysha Shaw, whom he met through friends at the former College of Santa Fe, now the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.

Shaw, a six-year resident of the city, has worked on political campaigns during recent years, including five for Democrats and Mayor David Coss' re-election bid in 2010.

"What I love about [Johansen] as a candidate is that he's so easy to talk to and he's been putting himself out there so much," she said. "When he gets elected, he will definitely be accessible and be able to translate his conversations into effective policy."

In addition to inspiring other young people to pay attention to the local political scene, she said, the campaign also has registered about 100 new voters.

Johansen has experimented with live streaming of political events such as debates and house parties. About 15 people logged on to view the first program on his website, which he admits is a small number. But he says that as the technology becomes more well-known, more people will be able to use it to get more involved in local governments.

The city already webcasts council meetings and some other proceedings, but Johansen said he wants to see more of that.

"If this evolves over time, we could really begin to have digital participation, where people sitting at home could actually chime in with questions and things like that," he said.

When it comes to taking a stance on particular city governance issues, Johansen says he's got to study the inner workings of City Hall. He has advocated for passage of a package of bond proposals from the City Council that would rely on new property taxes. Just how the city would pay for the operating costs that go with some of those projects remains undetermined.

"In terms of the budget, we need to keep all the options on the table. We need to keep maximum flexibility," he said. "But if we are really going to fix our budgetary problems in the long run ... we have to start looking at ways to diversify the economy."

Asked how he rates the current city economic development spending, Johansen said he didn't have many details. One thing he wants, he said, is for the city to support young people who want to start new businesses and who need training in new industries.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.

Houston J. Johansen

Age: 25

Education: 2005 Santa Fe Preparatory School graduate; bachelor's degree in political science from Creighton University.

Occupation: Intern at Santa Fe Innovation Park.

Experience: Serves on the board of Earth Care International; opened One World Coffee at age 19 and worked for a year as manager; interned for Bill Hume, former Gov. Bill Richardson's water-policy adviser; worked on President Barack Obama's campaign in Omaha, Neb., and at a law office there.

Personal: Born and raised in Santa Fe, returned to the city after college; rents a house with a friend in the St. Catherine's neighborhood.

Campaign info: Privately financed campaign with $6,866 in contributions, www.houstonforsantafe.com.