Frank G. Jackson, the 56^th Mayor of Cleveland, lives in the Central neighborhood on the same street where he grew up. He graduated from Cleveland Public Schools and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After returning to Cleveland, he resumed his education, receiving an associate’s degree from Cuyahoga Community College and his bachelor’s, master’s, and law degrees from Cleveland State University.

His commitment to public service began decades before becoming mayor. He served as an Assistant City Prosecutor and was active in the community. In 1989, Jackson ran for Cleveland City Council, beginning a sixteen-year commitment to Cleveland’s 5th Ward.  From 2002 through 2005, he also served as President of Cleveland City Council.

In January, 2006, Jackson began his tenure as Mayor of Cleveland focusing on ensuring that every child in the city has access to high quality educational opportunities; improving public safety; promoting the region’s economy; and revitalizing the city’s neighborhoods.

Education and Opportunities
Believing that education is the key to the future of the city, Mayor Jackson has emphasized education and opportunities for young people throughout his time in office.

• He appointed the city’s first Chief of Education in 2006 and began meeting weekly with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s chief executive officer and board chair.
• Jackson instituted programs such as One Voice Zero Tolerance to provide young people with the resources they need to develop life skills and created job opportunities for high school students at the city’s recreation centers.
• The Mayor Frank G. Jackson Scholarship program was launched in 2007, and in 2008, Jackson worked to secure commitments to create the Cleveland Scholarships for Education and Training, providing free tuition to Cuyahoga Community College for Cleveland public school graduates.
• Jackson worked with Cleveland Public Power, University Hospitals, UCIP-ASAP and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to create apprentice and training opportunities for CMSD students.

Public Safety
Jackson has focused on improving public safety in Cleveland’s neighborhoods, focusing on law enforcement, intervention and prevention.

• In January 2006, Jackson revised the City’s Use of Deadly Force Policy and improved the training regimen for police officers to help heal the breach that had arisen between the community and Division of Police.
• In April 2007, the city’s first police academy in six years graduated, putting 42 new police officers on the job, setting in motion a regular testing and academy schedule designed to maintain the police force.
• Jackson sued the state of Ohio in early 2007 for the rights to enforce local gun laws and drafted legislation that was submitted to the state legislature to make it more difficult for young people to have access to firearms.
• In May 2008, the Jackson Administration redeployed the city’s police forces into newly drawn neighborhood patrol zones, increased the number of officers working on city streets and created a Downtown Services Unit, among other things.

Regional Economy
Jackson has developed an approach to economic development that builds on the City’s assets and ties the City’s economy to the region’s economy. By doing this, Jackson will build a regional economy that can compete in the global marketplace.

• In 2006, Jackson signed the first of several joint economic development agreements with neighboring communities.
• In 2007, the Jackson Administration announced its efforts to strengthen the region by positioning Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Burke Lakefront Airport for growth as attracting development to land adjacent to the airports.
• Also in 2007, Jackson implemented the City’s first capital plan in more than a decade, with more than $1.5 billion worth of improvements to the city’s infrastructure, parks and buildings over the next five years.
• In 2008, Jackson traveled to Costa Rica and France on missions designed to promote Cleveland as the world’s gateway to the Midwest, attract new development and encourage tourism

City Operations
During his first Cabinet meetings, Jackson focused on changing the way City Hall operates in order to provide more and better service while simultaneously reducing costs.

• In the spring of 2006, Clean Cleveland was born, breaking down departmental boundaries and improving the quality of service, including waste collection, street sweeping and vacant lot maintenance.
• During that same time, the Operations Efficiency Task Force was launched to provide a systematic review of all city operations, implement improvements to ensure efficiency and reduce the cost of running the City.
• Jackson implemented strict budget management in the first quarter of his term as Mayor, mandating a three percent reduction in cost while maintaining services, netting more than $16 million in savings each year; in 2008, he also mandated citywide energy conservation measures in an effort to save money as well as reduce the city’s environmental impact.

Revitalizing Neighborhoods
Jackson’s goal is to ensure that every Cleveland neighborhood is a neighborhood of choice, where people choose to live, work and visit.

• In January 2007, Jackson implemented the Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan, the first complete Citywide Plan since 1991. Connecting Cleveland is designed to improve the quality of life in Cleveland’s 36 neighborhoods with strategies specifically tailored to each neighborhood’s needs and assets.
• Mayor Jackson is rebuilding neighborhoods with the $7 million Capitol Theatre renovation, the $3.5 million Detroit Avenue Streetscape Project, the $1.3 million Treadway Creek Greenway Restoration & Trail project, and has committed to $15 million in new recreation centers in the Collinwood neighborhood and $5 million for the renovation of League Park.
• Jackson is also funding programs, like Opportunity Homes, designed to mitigate the impact of the national foreclosure crisis in Cleveland, as well as partnering with Living Cities, The National Community Development Initiative, in a new mode of public-private partnership designed to rebuild Cleveland.