Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson said he wants to continue to improve and rebuild his neighborhood as he seeks re-election in the Nov. 8 municipal election.
Jackson, who was elected during a special election to replace Chuck Turner, represents District 7, which includes Roxbury, parts of the South End, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain and the Fens.
Born and raised in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Roxbury, Jackson said he followed the work of his parents, who were both community activists. His father, Herbert Jackson, created the Greater Roxbury Workers Association to provide equal opportunity on construction sites to minorities and women.
Jackson said “it was a platform to really learn about civic engagement.”
After graduating from the University of New Hampshire, he worked in the private sector and volunteered in local community organizations.
In 2007, Jackson was hired as the industry director for information technology to Gov. Deval Patrick’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic and worked with the recruitment of technical companies in the state.
He said working with the expansion of Microsoft, Google and other smaller companies helped him gain “the passion for business development to create jobs.”
In 2009 Jackson ran for an At-Large seat on the city council, but lost as the runner-up. He then became Patrick’s political director on his gubernatorial re-election campaign.
“It was a great experience because it gave me an opportunity to rebuild that statewide network and learn how the power of individuals and small groups of people can make a change,” Jackson said.
After former Councilor Chuck Turner’s conviction of bribery last fall, the District 7 seat opened for a special election. Jackson decided to step forward and run for councilor, winning the vote by 82 percent and joining the City Council in March.
Jackson said serving his neighborhood is a humbling experience because of the support he received.
“This role has been an amazing opportunity to give back to community that gave me so much and made me who I am today,” he said.
With high unemployment rates, Jackson said “the first thing is getting people back to work on a daily basis to take care of themselves and their families.”
Jackson, along with Councilor Bill Linehan, of South Boston, has been working with the Boston Jobs Policy legislation to ensure that Boston residents are getting jobs such as the rebuilding of Dudley Square.
“It is important to open doors for the people here who need it,” Jackson said. “People should take pride in building their community, and Councilor Linehan and I have the same interest to get Boston residents on these sites and money stored in banks so they can loan it back out.”
He said he has been working toward strengthening legislation to ensure better education and public safety for the entire Boston community. He wants to “raise the bar” in Boston Public Schools due to debates over the school buildings and their poor physical aspects.
“We live in a city with world-class colleges and universities,” Jackson said. “We should really be working towards making our schools world-class, so these young people can get into these colleges.”
Along with Councilor At-Large John Connolly, Jackson proposed an increase in the drop-out age in Boston schools that has been signed by Mayor Thomas Menino, and is currently pending at the State House. Using Boston as a pilot, Jackson said this legislation would raise the drop-out age from 16 to 18 years.
Jackson and Councilor Michael Ross, of Back Bay, ordered a hearing to regulate the supply of knives since no license is needed to own one. With more than 1,300 stabbings in the past three years, Jackson said this could close the major gap in public safety regarding potentially deadly weapons.
Jackson won the preliminary election on Sept. 27, receiving 76 percent of the vote over his opponent, Sheneal Parker, who received 11 percent of the vote.
Jackson said his approach to every campaign is to continue knocking on doors and making phone calls in order to be available to the community.
“I made a promise from day one to be out there connecting with the people,” Jackson said. “The great part about having floor elections is that we have always been out there doing all we can.”
Jackson said he is focusing on doing a good job representing the people.
“We need to be supportive and transformative in these neighborhoods to make sure there are good jobs, education and safe streets,” he said.
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Very articulate and well written article – I would vote for him!