The Trenton Times published the following article on April 2, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Former Trenton Public Works director Eric Jackson will run for mayor

By Alex Zdan/The Times 
on April 02, 2013 at 7:15 AM, updated April 02, 2013 at 7:17 AM

TRENTON — Eric Jackson, the man who came three votes away from a second-place finish in the 2010 mayor’s race, will be making a second run for the city’s top position, Jackson announced yesterday.

The former city Public Works director confirmed months of speculation about whether he would become a candidate in the 2014 mayoral race, and said he is “absolutely” going to run.

In 2010 Jackson lost out to then-Councilman Manuel Segura for the chance to challenge the eventual winner, Mayor Tony Mack, in a runoff election.

Jackson has already been working behind the scenes, shoring up his support in the city while meeting with groups ranging from business leaders to the police union. A formal campaign kickoff is slated for early May.

In a phone interview, Jackson said he wants to be mayor despite the capital city’s problems with crime, education, poverty, and money shortages because his resume and skills mean he is the right person for the job.

“We need leadership,” he said. “Not good leadership. Great leadership. I am that person. I know in my heart I am that person.”

“I’m asking everyone: top, bottom, left or right; I’m asking them for their support,” Jackson said.

Jackson, 54, did not just declare himself a candidate for the mayoral position, he said he would also run if there is a special election to fill the mayor’s seat if Mack is convicted on corruption charges, and also would be interested in serving as a mayor appointed by the council if Mack leaves office.

After barely losing out on the runoff, Jackson served in Mack’s administration for a few weeks as assistant business administrator, then was demoted to an administrative position at the Trenton Water Works. He said those jobs helped him to decompress and think about running again, he said.

“I went back and forth on it,” Jackson said. “I needed a time to step away and regroup — it was a hard hit.”

In September 2011, he took a job as director of the Department of Public Works and Urban Development in Plainfield, but demanded a residency waiver so he could still live in Trenton. Jackson said that by late summer last year, he was sure that he wanted to run again.

“I realized, honestly, at that point, my fire was still burning,” he said.

Jackson was buoyant in a phone interview yesterday afternoon, full of energy and plans for the race. He seemed at peace about his 2010 loss, and spoke with emotion about the city where he was raised.

“I love Trenton,” he said. “That’s my home.”

In a city that routinely has more than 20 murders a year and high violent crime, Jackson said public safety is his top issue.

“It’s serious by itself, and the perception takes us to another level,” he said of crime.

As Mack’s time in office was marred by scandals, police layoffs, and a shrinking tax base, Jackson said he received more and more requests from residents that he run for mayor. Though it’s more than 13 months until the next scheduled election, Jackson’s initial wariness about announcing his intentions early has disappeared, and he said he wants to take advantage of the longer campaign.

“When you lose by three votes, you want to talk to everybody,” he said.
That includes former Mayor Douglas Palmer, Mack’s predecessor who Jackson said is backing him.

Jackson yesterday received an enthusiastic endorsement from Palmer.

“He worked for me for 17 years and he was in my cabinet for about 12,” Palmer said. “He’s very knowledgeable about government — he ran the largest department in the city, and he certainly had to deal with a lot of issues: Water Works issues, union negotiation issues.”

“I know that he knows how tough the job is, and he doesn’t want to be mayor just to be mayor,” Palmer added. “He understands the issues.”

Jackson sat at Palmer’s right during cabinet meetings, at the table for several years along with James Golden, who served as Palmer’s police director and is himself exploring a run for mayor.

“I think he’s certainly a qualified candidate,” Golden said yesterday. “And I know, based on his run in 2010, he is someone who’s committed to the city.”

Patrick Hall, who in July last year became the first to announce his candidacy in the 2014 race, was pleased Jackson had made his intentions known.

“Good, it’s about time,” Hall said. “If you’re going to do it, do it.”

Jackson said he attended “two or three” so-called “mayors’ meetings” where potential and declared candidates met with members of the civic and business community to discuss winnowing down the field to avoid the 10-candidate ballot of 2010. Jackson went with an open mind, he said, and doesn’t believe the closed-door conversations take choices away from the voters.

“Whether you’re in the room or out of the room, you still can put in the papers,” Jackson said.

The FBI investigation into Mack that became public last July with raids on the mayor’s home and City Hall, followed by Mack’s arrest in September had very little bearing on Jackson’s decision.

“It was a personal decision about commitment, fortitude, the ability to bring people together,” he said.

Mack, who maintains a campaign finance account for 2014 but has not announced his plans, and Mercer County Deputy Clerk Walker Worthy, who is a declared candidate, could not be reached for comment last night.

Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5705.