Jackson Leaves Dayton Council

DAYTON - After five years on the Dayton City Council, Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Merle Jackson announced he plans to retire before the end of the year.

" I wa n t people to k n ow I ' m working toward full retirement," said Jackson, 66, who joined the council in 2006 after being appointed to a vacant seat following his professional retirement as a nuclear engineer. "It's time to get off the stage."

Jackson said he wants to retire this fall, but will serve through Dec. 31 if necessary to ensure a smooth transition. He has served two years of a four-year term so his successor would need to be appoint ed by the current council to fill the vacancy.

Jackson, who was born and raised in Dayton, comes from a long line of public servants dating back to Dayton's early days as a town. His great grandfather, Add Cahill, was a county commissioner, while his other great grandfather, Frank Jackson, was honorary mayor and city elder.

Jackson said when he retired from a 37-year career in the nuclear industry based near Hanford and moved back to Dayton in 2005, he was encouraged by friends to run for the council after he recovered from a medical condition.

After his initial appointment to the council, Jackson was re-elected in 2007 to serve the rest of the unexpired term and again in 2009 for a new four-year term.

Among the council's achievements during his time, Jackson counts improved collaboration among the stakeholders of the Touchet River regarding flood mitigation, environmental conservation and fish restoration.

"We're now sitting around the table," he said about the various parties ranging from the city and the county to the Department of Fish & Wildlife and the U.S. Corps of Engineers. "We're making slow but good progress."

Jackson said he wants to spend more time with his eight-year-old grandson in Boise, clean up four generations worth of "stuff" in his old family home and hit the road when he feels like it when he gets up in the morning.

Good-humored, but also businesslike when necessary, Jackson said he took his job "very seriously," spending at least 20 hours per week in a position that pays a monthly stipend of $150 and found his work as a councilman "rewarding."

He recommends the position highly to people who have the time and inclination to serve.