Preceded by Chuck Turner Nationality American | Name Tito Jackson Role American Politician | |
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Alma mater University of New Hampshire Occupation Boston City Councillor, District 7 Committees Chair of the Education Committee Education University of New Hampshire Residence Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, United States | ||
Tito Jackson (born April 11, 1975) is an American politician who is as a member of the Boston City Council. He represents council District 7, which consists of the Roxbury neighborhood and parts of Dorchester, South End, and Fenway.
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Early life
Jackson was born on April 11, 1975, to a young teenager who had been sexually assaulted. He was adopted by his current parents after months in foster care. Jackson grew up in Roxbury’s Grove Hall neighborhood, the son of Rosa and Herb Jackson, who were community activists in the city. Jackson attended Brookline High School and later graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. On campus, he was Student Body President. He is also a graduate of the Dunk The Vote Leadership Institute Initiative for Diversity. The Councillor is an active leader in youth development programs such as Citizen Schools and Anytown/The Leadership Initiative, and he sits on the boards of Heading Home and the Global Citizens Circle. Jackson spent more than 10 years as a sales and marketing professional.
Political career
In 2007, Councillor Jackson became the Industry Director for Information Technology in Governor Deval Patrick’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. Later, Councillor Jackson became the Political Director on Governor Patrick’s successful re-election campaign in 2010.
Boston City Council
In the Boston city council election of 2009, Jackson ran as an At-Large candidate. He lost in his first attempt by 11,676 votes.
Jackson ran in the 2011 special election to succeed Chuck Turner, who was expelled from the City Council after a public corruption investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He finished first out of seven candidates in the preliminary election and defeated Cornell Mills, the son of former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, 82%-16%.
Councillor Jackson is 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 serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Healthy Women, Families and Communities. In addition, he is 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.
2017 Mayoral Election
In January 2017, Jackson, a Democrat, announced he would run for Mayor of the City of Boston in the 2017 mayoral election against the incumbent, Marty Walsh.