The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – Commissioner Merle Jackson formally announced last week he will not seek reelection to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners when his term is up at the end of 2018. He has served one term. He said he is finally going to take life a little easier, to enjoy travels with his wife Joelle, and visits with his sons Dave and Mike and their families.

When he is not traveling, Jackson said he will be at home going through the barn, the basement, and the garage which are filled with the belongings of his great grandfather, Add Cahill, and his parents Hugh and Maxine Jackson, who have all lived in the same house on S 1st St.

"My grandfather and grandmother who lived two doors down, we got a lot of their stuff too," he said.

Jackson said he also needs to devote time to assist his son Dave with the family's farming interests on the Jackson Ranch 19 miles northeast of Dayton, and at Eckler Mountain and Bundy Hollow.

"It's just time to retire, and I hope I am more successful at that than I was previously," said Jackson with a grin.

In 2005 Jackson retired from a 37-year career in nuclear research and development that had taken him on assignments throughout the United States. He and Joelle then decided to return to Dayton.

"I retired and what I was going to do was oversee the family farm. I was going to sit on the porch and read books and do whatever retired people do," he said. "And so, I tell everybody I flunked retirement," he quipped.

Jackson was appointed to the Dayton City Council in 2006. "That's when things started. I jumped in and have been serving ever since," he said.

The Jackson family has had a long presence in the county going back before Washington became a state, in 1899. And the Jackson men have devoted many years to public service.

"I was born and raised here and had a good upbringing," he said. "It was a great place to grow up, and it gave a core set of values that helped us through the rest of life. It's kind of a family tradition of community service."

Jackson said his father also served on city council, and his grandfather, George, served Dayton as its mayor. His great grandfather, Add Cahill, was also a county commissioner.

Jackson has served on the Dayton Historic Preservation Commission, on the Dayton Development Task Force, on the Board of Directors of the Farm Bureau, on the Dayton HS Alumni Association, and Dayton Kiwanis.

Jackson and his father seem to have similar philosophies about governance. In the late 1970s when County Commissioner Hugh Jackson was asked by the Walla Walla Union Bulletin about the future in terms of county projects and aspirations, he simply said, "We'll handle things as they come."

Jackson recently echoed those same words when talking about plans for consolidating county offices for better efficiency, safety and to reduce costs. ". . . and we will be eating this elephant one bite at a time," he said.

Jackson said he hopes county government does a better job of planning for the long range, rather than operating reactively.

Jackson was elected to the District 2 commissioner position in 2014, and began his term in 2015. He said he is most pleased to be associated with the county's purchase of land adjacent to the public works department, which can provide for future growth, and which allows for expanded rock crushing operations. He said he is also pleased with the Fair Board's work in getting the HVAC system installed at the Fairgrounds Pavilion, and with the county's encouragement of wind energy development and the Lyons Ferry Straw Pulp Mill. Lately, the county has developed a new volunteer policy for the fairgrounds and golf course, and he said he is happy about that.

Before his term ends, Jackson said he looks forward to helping establish designated speed limits signs on county roads to make them safe for both ATVs and 18 wheelers.

He said he looks forward to hiring a county human resources director, and working to consolidate county office spaces, to provide for better courtroom security and safety.

In the future Jackson would like to see work continue on improving and maintaining county roads.

"When I was young and working on the farm we used a lot smaller equipment; two ton trucks to haul grain to the elevator," he said. "Now it's all 18-wheelers taking the grain to market. The weight and width of the tractors and equipment place tremendous stress on roads. We need to figure out how to build and rebuild roads to accommodate the equipment that is being used."

He added, "It's been my honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Dayton and Columbia County. I hope during my time here I left it a little better, and not worse than when I got here."