Ailing ex-Schenectady mayor Karen Johnson hailed as a trailblazer

SCHENECTADY – Karen Johnson will forever be a part of Schenectady history.She was the first woman elected mayor, taking the job in 1983 after breaking an earlier barrier as the first woman on the City Council. Four years later, she won a second term, defeating her political rival, Frank Duci.But after she left the mayor's office at the end of 1991, Johnson took on a new role as a champion of local organizations and the arts. Over the years, Johnson, a Democrat, stayed in politics as a part