April Jackson selected to serve as Salisbury City Council President
SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury City Council electing a new president Tuesday evening. April Jackson, representing District 1, was voted in by her peers; District 5 representative, Angela Blake, was chosen as Council Vice President.
Top Issues
Jackson says one of her top issues includes safe, affordable housing. “We have a lot of issues in District 1,” Jackson said. “Housing is one, the blight and abandoned housing is the second thing that I’m seeing. The beautification to that particular area is not being done.”
Another important task for Jackson, is getting more community resources to young people.
“There are some things that need to be done in terms of youth crime. We’ve had quite a few murders here in Salisbury and Wicomico County,” she said. “It’s just keeping our youth active; that’s the whole thing, keeping them active, keeping them away from crime. They always say an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. You’re not going to stop everybody from committing crimes. But, for the most part, let’s give our young people something to do.”
Involving Young People
As Council President, Jackson hopes to get youth more involved in local government, as well.
“This tells where you’re going when you have presidential elections; where everything is headed. They need to get engulfed in the local elections, they need to register to vote, and they need to get out and vote,” said Jackson. “They’re not interested because we don’t make it interesting for them. So, I think we need to be a little bit more forthcoming with our young people.”
Looking Ahead
However, there’s one theme that Jackson says she wants to overarch all city operations and decision making.
“I’m looking to unify with my Council, and I’m looking to unify with the constituents of the City of Salisbury,” said Jackson. “So, transparency is one of the biggest things that I would love to see.”
Jackson’s appointment as Council President comes as former president Muir Boda recently stepped down. Boda accepted a position as the city’s Director of Housing and Community Development. Jackson says she’s elated to accept her new appointment, and is ready to get to work.
