Thank You, Glenda Jackson

It was a bittersweet moment at last week’s final town board meeting of this year. It was the last meeting at which Councilwoman Glenda Jackson would cast a vote. She leaves office at the end of the year, having lost her bid for re-election to Gene Cook.

Cook deserves a warm welcome when he begins official duties in January, and residents are welcome to attend inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 8 when Cook along with fellow Election Day victors Councilwoman Susan Berland, Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia and Receiver of Taxes Ester Bivona will take the oath of office.

But first, a word of thanks is due to Jackson for the five years she has devoted to service on the town board, and for the part she played in writing a chapter of Huntington’s history. When Jackson was appointed in 2006 to fill a vacancy, she became the first African-American in Huntington’s 350-plus-year history to serve on the town board. When she successfully ran to hold that seat in a general election, she became the first African-American to win election to the town board.

Jackson’s tenure was not without turbulence. After an investigation established that she had wrongly enrolled her daughter in South Huntington schools despite living in the Huntington School District, Jackson did the right thing. She made restitution and moved into a home in the district.

Perhaps it was because the spotlight was so sharply focused on her actions that Jackson voted with courage and veracity; it’s more likely that’s simply the way she is. Jackson’s vote was often crucial; it was never cast lightly. Her convictions didn’t change with the political winds, nor did her vote.

Whether she was being lauded or criticized, Glenda Jackson performed her duties with grace and dignity. She provided a voice to the under-represented in Huntington’s minority communities, but more importantly, she listened.

Politically, she could have played the game better. If she had we might not be saying thanks and so long. As to voting with unwavering conviction, she could have done nothing different. In this way she provided an example to elected officials many years her senior.
Thank you, Glenda Jackson, for leadership in unexpected areas. If that spirit remains when Gene Cook takes over the seat, there’s not much more we could ask.