Fervent Prayer pastor James Jackson announced his candidacy for mayor during a campaign launch event Nov. 29, telling supporters he wants to make Indianapolis the “best city to live in.” Jackson will run as a Republican.
With a vision of “transforming” Indianapolis, Jackson created a plan titled the “James Jackson P.E.A.C.E. Plan,” which addresses issues such as public safety, education and economic development. Jackson detailed his plan during the campaign event at Onyx Event Center.
The plan includes expanding the city’s crime prevention programs and making sure they are “fully funded.” He cited a steady increase in criminal homicides, a problem not just in Indianapolis but around the country and said the cause for this is people being released too early from jail. Jackson said his administration would make sure “they will not be released until they are ready.”
Jackson, who in a previous interview with the Recorder called himself a “transformative leader,” said he would work with educators to ensure they get the resources they need to help children from “infancy to independency.”
Jackson also said he intends to assist business owners.
“We want to make sure that under the Jackson administration that all those folks who set out to achieve their dreams where business is concerned will be able to be fully funded,” he said.
Jackson reminisced about attending mayoral gatherings during the Greg Ballard administration and said it’s “important to make sure people have access to their mayor.”
The final part of Jackson’s plan is about economic development.
“Indianapolis has always been out front on the cutting edge of making sure our economy is strong and making sure that we meet the budget,” he said. “I think mayors in the past have done a good job of that and we are going to keep it going.”
Jackson served on the Indianapolis Police Merit Board from 2012-2015 and currently is in his second term on the board of Indiana Civil Rights Commission.
“I am running for mayor of Indianapolis to make Indianapolis the best city to live in in the United States of America,” he said.
Contact staff writer Timoria Cunningham at 317-762-7854. Follow her on Twitter @_timoriac.
