The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - Merle Jackson wants to help the people in Columbia County work together better. "If elected my top goal is to find a responsible way to get things accomplished," he said. "I want to facilitate open communications, particularly between the city and the county."

Jackson cites his five years on the Dayton City Council (2006-2011), which gives him a thorough understanding of issues that affect both entities. He says there are so many issues that affect both the city and county, such as public safety, planning and zoning, that it is essential that commissioners be able to work closely with city government and staff.

Jackson said he wants to get started soon on establishing a new comprehensive plan for the county. "It was last updated in 2008 and a new update is required every five to ten years," he said. "A lot of things have changed in the county in that time."

And he pointed out that one of the important steps in updating the plan will be redrawing the urban growth boundaries. This job, he says, requires close cooperation between the city and county, to determine the best places for city utilities to be expanded in the county.

Jackson is a Columbia County native, whose family roots go back to the 1870s. "I am a proud Dayton Bulldog, a graduate of Dayton High School and currently president of the Dayton High School Alumni Association," he said.

After graduating from DHS, Jackson attended WSU, receiving a degree in mechanical engineering. He spent 37 years working in the nuclear industry, working both at Hanford in Richland and at the Idaho National

Laboratories in Idaho Falls, Ida.

In the mid-1990s, Jackson took over management of his family farming operations in Columbia County. He retired and returned to Dayton in 2005.

"I flunked retirement," he often says, because he quickly got himself involved in many community activities. Besides his time on city council (including a stint as mayor-pro-tem) and with the Alumni Association, Jackson is a member of the Dayton Development Task Force board and a member of Kiwanis.

Jackson's engineering career included 25 years in management-level positions, which included extensive financial management experience. "I was responsible for multi-million dollar budgets," he said.

"The county and city both have severe budget constraints," he said. "By working together in a positive way, we can get the most bang for the buck."