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Tito Jackson (politician)

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Tito Jackson
Jackson in 2012
Member of the Boston City Council
from District 7
In office
March 2011 – December 2017
Preceded byChuck Turner
Succeeded byKim Janey
Personal details
Born (1975-04-11) April 11, 1975 (age 49)
South End, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceDorchester, Boston, Massachusetts
Alma materUniversity of New Hampshire (BA)
OccupationPolitician

Tito Jackson (born April 11, 1975) is an American politician who was a member of the Boston City Council. He represented council District 7, representing parts of the Roxbury neighborhood and parts of Dorchester, South End, and Fenway.[1] In 2017, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Boston against incumbent mayor Marty Walsh. After leaving the Boston City Council, Jackson worked in the cannabis industry. In 2022, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appointed Jackson to the city's Commission on Black Men and Boys.

Jackson is considered to be a political progressive.

Early life, family, and education

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Jackson was born to a teenage mother who had been impregnated in a sexual assault.[2] He was adopted by Rosa and Herb Jackson after months in foster care.[3] Jackson is African American.[4] His adoptive father was a community activist and his adoptive mother ran a home day care.[5] In his activism, Jackson's father supported the election of political candidates of color through voter registration campaigns and applied pressure to construction companies in the city to employ more local workers and minorities. Jackson's father died in 2002.[6] Jackson has credited his adoptive parents' progressive politics for shaping his own progressive politics.[6]

Jackson grew up in the Grove Hall neighborhood of the city.[7] As of 2017, he was living in the same Grove Hall home that he had grown up in. The home is located in the border-area of the larger neighborhood of Roxbury and Dorchester.[note 1] Jackson has identified himself with the Roxbury neighborhood, and his city council district was centered around Roxbury.[12]

Jackson attended Brookline High School and later graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.[13] At university, Jackson founded a "Black Student Union" group which urged the university to work to diversify the makeup of its student body. Jackson was also elected the student body president.[6] His alma mater granted him an additional honorary degree in 2018.[14]

In 2018, Jackson reunited with his biological mother.[2] His biological mother is one of the subjects of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Common Ground by J. Anthony Lukas, which focused on desegregation busing in Boston.[2]

Early career

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From 2004 until 2006, Jackson worked as a marketer for the drug manufacturer Alpharma.[15]

In 2007, Jackson served as the industry director for information technology in Governor Deval Patrick’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. Later, Jackson worked as the political director of Governor Patrick's successful 2010 reelection campaign.[16]

Boston City Council

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Jackson at the Maura Hennigan 2012 Boston Caribbean Carnival parade, with Ayanna Pressley, Elizabeth Warren, and Maura Hennigan

In the Boston City Council election of 2009, Jackson ran as an at-large candidate. He lost in this first attempt at running for elected office by 11,676 votes.[17]

Jackson ran in the 2011 special election for the 7th district Boston City Council seat to succeed Chuck Turner, who had been expelled from the City Council after a public corruption investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Jackson finished first out of seven candidates in the nonpartisan primary election[18] and defeated Cornell Mills (the son of former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson)[1] 82 percent to 16 percent in the general election.[19]

Councillor Jackson was the Chair of the Committee on Education, and the chair of the Special Committee on the Status of Black and Latino Men and Boys. Councillor Jackson also served as vice chair of the Committee on Healthy Women, Families and Communities. In addition, he was a member of six other Committees: City, Neighborhood Services and Veteran Affairs; Homelessness, Mental Health and Recovery; Housing and Community Development, Jobs, Wages and Workforce Development; Public Safety and Criminal Justice; and together with all other Councillors, the Committee of the Whole.[13]

In 2012, after Mayor Thomas Menino opted to veto the City Council's first two proposals for its redistricted map, Jackson made his own proposal amending the previously proposed map. The City Council passed Jackson's map, which was then approved by Mayor Menino.[20][21][22]

After the November 2013 council election, Jackson briefly attempted to gather support to be elected the next president of the Boston City Council, but found himself unable to secure pledges of support from a majority of councilors. His candidacy came after Matt O'Malley was unable to secure pledges from a majority, and Bill Linehan (a conservative-leaning councilor) had managed to secure sufficient pledges. After Jackson failed to secure enough pledges, councilor Ayanna Pressley made an unsuccessful last minute bid against Linehan. Linehan defeated Pressley 8–5 (with Jackson voting for Pressley).[23]

In 2014, the City Council passed an ordinance by Jackson to create a commission on Black men and boys. Mayor Marty Walsh vetoed the ordinance, arguing that such a commission would, "duplicate and complicate efforts that my administration is already engaged in", and that the ordinance was written in such a way that he believed it would violate the Boston City Charter.[24][25][26] Such a commission would eventually be formed in 2021; with the City Council passing a resolution to form a similar commission that was signed into effect by the acting mayor, Kim Janey, in September 2021.[24][27]

Jackson and fellow city councilor Ayanna Pressley (far right) attending Jamaica Plain Porchfest in 2015

In 2015, Jackson applied pressure to the non-governmental committee behind Boston's bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics for them to release the non-redacted copy of its original bid for the games.[28] After the collapse of Boston's bid for the Olympics, the organization No Boston Olympics (which had opposed the bid) endorsed Jackson and three other incumbent Boston City Council members for re-election, praising them as "demonstrat[ing] leadership by asking tough questions" to the leaders behind Boston's Olympic bid.[29]

Jackson partnered with Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins to organize a city council committee hearing at the South Bay House of Correction. The hearing, held in September 2015, focused on soliciting input on strategies to decrease recidivism, and was the first hearing in the history of the Boston City Council to be held in a prison.[30]

Jackson was a prominent opponent of 2016 Massachusetts Question 2,[31][32] which would have authorized an expansion of the number of charter schools in the state. In August 2016, the City Council voted 11–2 to adopt a resolution by Jackson and Matt O'Malley that voiced the council's opposition to the ballot measure.[33]

2017 mayoral campaign

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Main article: 2017 Boston mayoral election
Mayoral campaign logo
Jackson in 2017

In January 2017 Jackson announced he would run for Mayor of Boston in the 2017 mayoral election against the incumbent, Marty Walsh.[34] In launching his candidacy, Jackson positioned himself as the "progressive" candidate in the race, and cited issues such as income inequality and housing as being central to his candidacy.[4]

In the nonpartisan primary election held on September 26, 2017, Jackson received 29 percent of the votes to Walsh's 63 percent. Jackson moved onto the general election on November 7, 2017. Only 14 percent of the city's voting population cast votes compared to 31 percent in the previous preliminary mayoral contest.[35]

Jackson focused much of his efforts on aiming to win the city's Black vote.[36]

Jackson lost the general election race with 34 percent of the votes to Walsh's 65 percent.[37]

Post-City Council activities and career

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Following his city council tenure, Jackson has been involved in ventures related to legal marijuana sales.[38] Jackson has served as the chief executive of Verdant Medical, a Massachusetts medical and recreational marijuana company.[39] He has also worked as the chief executive officer of the Apex Noire marijuana company.[40]

Jackson at a 2020 George Floyd protest in Franklin Park

Jackson tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, early into the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States[41]

In the 2021 Boston mayoral election, Jackson endorsed the unsuccessful primary election campaign of Acting Mayor Kim Janey.[42] After Janey was eliminated in the primary, he endorsed the successful general election campaign of Michelle Wu.[43]

On March 16, 2022, Jackson was one of fourteen names put forth by the Boston City Council as nominees serve on the newly-established Boston Commission on Black Men and Boys. Mayor Wu had the authority to select seven of those nominees to appoint to the commission.[44] The commission has 21 members, seven of which are selected by the mayor after being first recommended from the Boston City Council, while the remainder are selected by the mayor independently from a pool of applicants. On May 19, 2022, Mayor Wu announced that she would appoint Jackson to the commission.[45]

In October 2022, Jackson spoke before the Boston City Council in support of a proposal by the City Council to raise the pay of city councilors by 20%. He claimed in his remarks that after his election to the city council, he nearly lost his house to foreclosure.[46] While the amendment was passed by the council, Mayor Wu vetoed it. Wu supported an 11% increase, which had been the recommendation of Boston’s compensation advisory board, but opposed a 20% increase.[47]

Electoral history

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City Council

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2009 Boston City Council at-large election
Candidates Preliminary Election[48] General Election[49]
Votes % Votes %
John R. Connolly (incumbent) 35,182 18.08 51,362 18.35
Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) 30,365 15.61 51,008 18.22
Felix G. Arroyo 25,859 13.29 45,144 16.13
Ayanna Pressley 16,866 8.67 41,879 14.96
Tito Jackson 12,535 6.44 30,203 10.79
Andrew Kenneally 12,653 6.50 24,249 8.66
Tomás González 10,122 5.20 18,310 6.54
Doug Bennett 10,529 5.41 16,842 6.02
Ego Ezedi 9,260 4.76
Hiep Quoc Nguyen 7,691 3.95
Sean H. Ryan 6,665 3.43
Jean-Claude Sanon 5,386 2.77
Robert Fortes 5,071 2.61
Bill Trabucco 3,132 1.61
Scotland Willis 2,639 1.36
all others 595 0.31 951 0.34
2011 Boston City Council district 7 special election[50]
Candidate Votes %
Tito Jackson 2,829 81.98
Cornell Mills 557 16.14
Althea Garrison (write-in) 46 1.33
all others 19 0.55
Total votes 3,451 100
2011 Boston City Council district 7 election
Candidates Preliminary Election[51] General Election[52]
Votes % Votes %
Tito Jackson (incumbent) 1,876 76.07 4,818 84.35
Sheneal Parker 273 11.07 799 13.99
Althea Garrison 216 8.76 47† 0.82
Roy Owens 85 3.45
all others 16† 0.65 48† 0.84
Total 2,466 100 5,712 100

† write-in votes

2013 Boston City Council district 7 election[53]
Candidate Votes %
Tito Jackson (incumbent) 7,676 74.61
Roy Owens 1,680 16.33
Jamarhl C. Crawford (write-in) 653 6.35
all others 279 2.71
Total votes 10,288 100
2015 Boston City Council district 7 election
Candidates Preliminary Election[54] General Election[55]
Votes % Votes %
Tito Jackson (incumbent) 1,409 66.40 2,983 66.64
Charles L. Clemons Jr. 381 17.95 1,444 32.26
Haywood Fennell Sr. 104 4.90 16† 0.36
Althea Garrison 98 4.62 0† 0.00
Roy Owens 74 3.49
Kevin A. Dwire 34 1.60
all others 22† 1.04 33† 0.74
Total 2,122 100 4,476 100

† write-in votes

Mayor

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2017 Boston mayoral election
Candidates Preliminary election[56] General election[37]
Votes % Votes %
Marty Walsh 34,882 62.52% 70,197 65.37%
Tito Jackson 16,216 29.07% 36,472 33.97%
Robert Cappucci 3,736 6.70%
Joseph Wiley 529 0.95%
all others 428 0.77 708 0.66
Total 55,791 100 107,377 100

Notes

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  1. ^ While Grove Hall is considered a neighborhood by the City of Boston,[8] it is not considered as one of the city's "main" neighborhoods. Dorchester and Roxbury are among the city's main neighborhoods (per the accounts of the city government[9][10] and unofficial sources[11]). Hence, why Jackson's residence in the Grove Hall neighborhood would also be considered to also be within either of the aforementioned "main" neighborhoods.
    Different government agencies and entities disagree as to whether Jackson's home is located in Roxbury or in Dorchester. As of 2017, the city's zoning and planning maps labeled the home as being in Roxbury, while its assessing department listed it as being in Dorchester. The United States Postal Service serves the Grove Hall neighborhood through its Dorchester post office, but had prior to 1967 served it through its Roxbury post office.[12]
    The question of which neighborhood (Roxbury or Dorchester) Jackson lived in garnered minor attention during his 2017 mayoral campaign, as Roxbury is considered the city's most well-known African American community, while Dorchester is a more white neighborhood from which the incumbent mayor that Jackson was challenging had hailed. At the time, local leaders commented on how the boundary lines between the neighborhoods are not strictly-defined.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b Martin, Phillip. "Replacing Turner, Tito Jackson Wins City Council Spot". WGBH. WGBH. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Irons, Meghan E. (April 14, 2021). "Tito Jackson found his birth mother. Their family's journey is a tale of Boston history". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Irons, Meghan E. (2017-01-11). "I want to become the 55th mayor of the City of Boston". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  4. ^ a b "Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson Is Running For Mayor". WBUR. January 12, 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  5. ^ Irons, Meghan E. (April 14, 2021). "Tito Jackson found his birth mother. Their family's journey is a tale of Boston history". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  6. ^ a b c Brooks, Anthony (September 28, 2017). "Tito Jackson Aims To Be Boston's First Black Mayor". www.wbur.org. WBUR. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Tito Jackson". City of Boston. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  8. ^ "Grove Hall". Boston.gov. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Neighborhoods_tcm3-8205.pdf" (PDF). City of Boston. December 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Neighborhoods". Boston.gov. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  11. ^ "A Guide to Boston's Neighborhoods". Old Town Trolley Tours. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Jonas, Michael (1 June 2017). "Tito Jackson's address? It's complicated". CommonWealth Beacon. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Welcome titojacksonformayor.com - BlueHost.com". Titojacksonforboston.com. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  14. ^ "UNH announces 2018 Granite State Award and honorary degree recipients". Foster's Daily Democrat. April 24, 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  15. ^ O’Sullivan, Jim (April 4, 2017). "Tito Jackson once worked for drug maker". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  16. ^ White, Anna (25 September 2017). "Mayor of Boston Candidate Profile: Tito Jackson". Caught In Southie. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  17. ^ Guilfoil, John M. (December 21, 2010). "Tito Jackson set sights on City Council seat". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 June 2011.[dead link]
  18. ^ "Special Preliminary Municipal Election - City Councillor District 7" (PDF). City of Boston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  19. ^ "Special Municipal Election - City Councillor District 7" (PDF). City of Boston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  20. ^ Dumcius, Gintautas (October 31, 2012). "Council approves third redistricting map with 11-2 vote". www.dotnews.com. Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  21. ^ Conti, Matt (November 10, 2012). "New City Council Redistricting Map Impacts North End / Waterfront; Downtown & Wharf District Joins Southie – NorthEndWaterfront.com". northendwaterfront.com. North End Waterfront. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  22. ^ Bernstein, David S. (21 September 2013). "Boston Mayoral Candidates and Their Council Votes". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  23. ^ Irons, Meghan E. (January 6, 2014). "Bill Linehan Elected Boston City Council President". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  24. ^ a b Gavin, Christopher (September 16, 2021). "Boston councilors again approve Commission on Black Men & Boys". Boston.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  25. ^ Van Zuylen-Wood, Simon (April 3, 2016). "Marty Walsh Is Not Tom Menino". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  26. ^ Miller, Yawu (5 March 2014). "Tito Jackson spearheads Boston commission on black boys and men". The Bay State Banner. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  27. ^ "MAYOR JANEY SIGNS ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING BLACK MEN AND BOYS COMMISSION". Boston.gov. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  28. ^ Moore, Mary (July 14, 2015). "City councilor sets deadline for Boston Olympics group to produce information". www.bizjournals.com. Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  29. ^ Arsenault, Mark (October 6, 2015). "Olympics opponents weigh in on city elections". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  30. ^ Multiple sources:
  31. ^ McNamara, Brittney (October 3, 2016). "Passing Question 2 irresponsible, opponents say". MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  32. ^ Dezenski, Lauren (September 13, 2016). "Advocates stake out positions on charter ballot question". Politico PRO. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  33. ^ McKeirnan, Kathleen (4 August 2016). "Council votes against more charter schools". Boston Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  34. ^ Atkinson, Dan (2017-01-11). "Tito Jackson declares he's running for mayor". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  35. ^ Irons, Meghan E. (2017-09-26). "Walsh, Jackson proceed to general mayoral election in Boston". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  36. ^ Brooks, Anthony (23 August 2021). "Push To Unite Black Vote Behind Janey Prompts Pushback In Boston Mayoral Race". www.wbur.org. WBUR. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  37. ^ a b "MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 7, 2017 : MAYOR CITY OF BOSTON" (PDF). Boston.gov. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  38. ^ "Tito Jackson seeks to put a 'sophisticated, high-end lounge' atop his State Street cannabis shop". Universal Hub. May 25, 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  39. ^ Adams, Dan (January 17, 2019). "Former city councilor tells of plans for marijuana business". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  40. ^ Dearing, Tiziana; Toci, Bart (October 18, 2022). "The ancillary businesses that support Mass. cannabis dispensaries". WBUR. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  41. ^ Bowker, Brittany (March 29, 2020). "Former Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson tests positive for coronavirus". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  42. ^ Kashinsky, Lisa (10 August 2021). "JACKSON endorses JANEY — Campaigns SPLIT on STAFF VAX requirements — Climate report prompts CALLS for ACTION". Politico.com. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  43. ^ "Boston mayor's race sours". politico.com. Politico. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  44. ^ Wintersmith, Saraya (16 March 2022). "City Council nominates candidates for Boston Commission on Black Men and Boys". WGBH. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  45. ^ Hill, Marta (May 19, 2022). "Mayor Wu announces members of Black Men and Boys Commission". www.boston.com. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  46. ^ "Wu raises prospect of veto after Council okays pay hikes". www.dotnews.com. Dorchester Reporter. October 12, 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  47. ^ Wintersmith, Saraya (17 October 2022). "Mayor vetoes Boston City Council's 20% pay hike". WGBH. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  48. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 CITY COUNCILOR AT LARGE" (PDF). City of Boston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  49. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 3, 2009 CITY COUNCILOR AT LARGE" (PDF). City of Boston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  50. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON SPECIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION - March 15, 2011 CITY COUNCILOR DISTRICT 7" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  51. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY MUNICIPAL ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 CITY COUNCILOR DISTRICT 7" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  52. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 8, 2011 CITY COUNCILOR DISTRICT 7" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  53. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 5, 2013 CITY COUNCILOR DISTRICT 7" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  54. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON PRELIMINARY MUNICIPAL ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 CITY COUNCILOR DISTRICT 7" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  55. ^ "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 3, 2015 CITY COUNCILOR DISTRICT 7" (PDF). cityofboston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  56. ^ "PRELIMINARY MUNICIPAL ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 MAYOR" (PDF). Boston.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-14.

Further reading

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