Ward 4 Councilman Fred Jackson has resigned from the Columbus City Council, effective immediately.
Mayor Robert Smith announced during an impromptu press conference at City Hall Wednesday morning that he had received Jackson’s letter of resignation. Smith did not provide media with a copy of the letter, but said Jackson’s reasons for stepping down were to “spend more time with his family” and “focus on his career.”
“I enjoyed working with Councilman Fredrick Jackson,” Smith said. “I hate to see him resign. I wish him the best of luck and success.”
Jackson did not attend Wednesday’s press conference. Nor did he answer several calls and messages from The Dispatch by press time.
The city will hold a special election to fill the vacancy on Aug. 20, Smith announced. The deadline to qualify as a candidate at the city registrar’s office is 5 p.m. July 30.
Jackson, who works as an Allstate insurance agent in Columbus, was elected in 2017, ousting incumbent Marty Turner. The unfinished term expires in 2021.
During Jackson’s election campaign, District 5 Lowndes County Supervisor Leroy Brooks and State Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus), a former councilman for Ward 5, both openly endorsed him.
Neither Brooks nor Karriem knew Jackson was even considering stepping down, they said. Until The Dispatch contacted them Wednesday, they both said they hadn’t heard about the press conference either.
“I did (endorse) him. I had high hopes for him, but everybody is not cut out for politics,” Brooks said. “I don’t know whether that’s the reason he’s resigning or what. Maybe he’ll eventually call you because I think you need to hear it from the horse’s mouth. … I have called him before and he said everything was going fine, but the reason he resigned I promise you I can’t tell you. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you because I think it’s his job to tell you.”
Brooks added he was still glad he endorsed Jackson during his campaign.
“I don’t have any regrets endorsing him,” Brooks said. “I commend him for stepping down if he finds it is not in the best interest of the community or himself to continue to serve. I guess it’s like a divorce. You didn’t marry to get a divorce, but things happen.”
Like Brooks, Karriem said he is still glad he endorsed Jackson even though he is leaving council after only serving two years.
“Councilman Jackson was the right person at that time,” Karriem said. “Now the people of Ward 4 will have to look for his replacement. Hopefully they will get somebody who will represent their interests and be a voice for them on city council. … Being on city council as I once was, it’s a full-time job with part-time benefits. You have to be ready and prepared to be a servant to others. I hope the next council person does that.”
In recent weeks, rumors began circulating that Jackson had moved from his ward. When asked directly about that issue at Wednesday’s press conference, Smith denied having any knowledge of the councilman’s residence.
“I have no idea where Councilman Fredrick Jackson lives,” Smith said.
Jackson also fell under public scrutiny in April when public records indicated he was given a discounted rate to rent space at the city owned Trotter Convention Center for his May 11 wedding. The rental agreement showed the discounted rate he was given was marked out and the full-price rate handwritten above it. Records the city provided after the event show Jackson wrote a check for the regular rental fee rate.
A separate rental agreement shows Jackson did pay a discounted rate for a December 2018 graduation party at Regal Hall, which the city also owns.
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