Race For Mayor: Scott Jackson, Democrat

When he speaks in the Thornton Wilder Auditorium at Miller Library, Democratic Mayor Scott Jackson can't help but look back to when he was a teenager.

His first job was vacuuming the rugs in that room when he was 14, the mayor said.

"There is a story in that," he said, and that story is of the opportunity that Hamden offers all of its citizens -- the chance to go from vacuuming the rugs to running the town.

Jackson's election to the town's top spot in November 2009 was the first for an African-American in a town or small city in the state. 

For the four years before that election, Jackson served as former Mayor Craig Henrici's chief administrative officer. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in government and worked for Sen. Joseph Lieberman before working for the town, first managing the town's Office of Housing and Neighborhood Development, overseeing the Community Development Block Grant program. and then as Henrici's assistant.

As mayor, Jackson has targeted several areas, including energy efficiency and traffic calming. In recent weeks, the first in what Jackson has said is a planned series of improvements in the area of traffic calming were implemented when florescent signage and street markings were installed at Farmington Canal Greenway crossings. 

He also has been working on renovating the old Newhall Community Center into a green jobs incubation center, receiving a $400,000 grant towards that. 

In a second term, Jackson has plans for several new initiatives, including Neighborhood Walking Tours that, according to his website, would allow him the opportunity to speak with residents in their own neighborhoods about their concerns.

"I firmly believe that walking is the only way to truly understand the assets and detriments of any neighborhood," Jackson says on his website. "The number of details missed at thirty five miles per hour can be staggering."

He also has plans to expand "Mayor's Office for a Day," where he holds office hours in areas around town, including churches, businesses -- "any institution willing to open its doors to me and my staff.

"By bringing access to the Mayor directly to residents, I intend to bridge the gap between citizens and the government that serves them," he said.

Education also is a top priority for the mayor. His oldest son recently started school at Ridge Hill School and he has said on several occasions that the greatest responsibility the town has is to the education of its youngest residents.

The town was just named by the Promise Alliance one of , which is a testament to its commitment to its youth, Jackson said.

He wants another term in office in order to continue the work he has started, he said. He has the knowledge and experience the town needs during the current times to move the town forward, he said.