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Dock Jackson, Jr., 55, was born and raised in Bastrop, Texas. His strong sense of family, made it only natural that he returned home after a brief career in New York City to be the family caregiver. Shortly after his return he first ran for public office. In 1987 he was elected as a City of Bastrop Council Member. Council Member Dock Jackson was the first African American Council Member to be elected to the City of Bastrop. The community in which he serves has allowed Dock to remain in the Council seat, representing them for his tenth term. In 1999 Region 10 of the Texas Municipal League (TML) elected Dock as their President. This leadership role extends over 90 cities surrounding the Austin area including Bastrop. In 2000 the Texas Association of Black City Council Members elected Dock as their State wide President and in 2005 the TML elected Jackson as their State wide President. TML is an 1100 member city organization that exists solely to provide services to Texas cities representing their interests in state and federal legislation, training to member cities and serves as a connecting force to foster cooperation between cities and other government entities. Councilman Jackson is employed by the City of Elgin as the Director of Parks, Recreation and Special Services. He has held that position since 2000. Prior to working for the City of Elgin he served the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. This allowed him to work with special events, senior programs, recreation center programs, cultural arts programming and the Rural Capital Area Private Industry Council (now the Rural Capital Area Workforce Center). While serving the Rural Capital Area Private Industry Council, Dock Jackson was the Resource Manager for work programs for youth, adults and dislocated workers in Bastrop, Fayette, Lee, Hays, Caldwell and Williamson Counties. Dock Jackson is actively involved in the parks and recreation movement at the local, state, regional and national level through his memberships with the Texas Recreation and Park Society and the National Recreation and Park Association. He has served as a Texas Recreation and Parks Society Board Member and currently represents the Leisure and Aging Section of the National Recreation and Park Association on the National Forum which is the advisory board to the organization and is active in Awards and Program Planning and Development committees for the organization. As a Board Member with the Texas Municipal League, Mr. Jackson serves on the Southern Municipal Conference Board as the Texas representative to the group of local elected officials from 13 states. Nationally, Dock serves on the National League of Cities Youth, Education and Family Commission where he once served as Vice Chair. Mr. Dock Jackson’s belief in giving back to his community is seen through his being a member of the Bastrop Main Street Advisory Board, Elgin Rotary Club, Friends of Elgin Parks, Elgin Ministerial Alliance, President of the Elgin Noon Lions Club, Kerr Community Center Advisory Board, member of the Bastrop and Elgin Chamber of Commerce, member of BEST (Bastrop*Elgin*Smithville*Texas) a local cooperative venture in Bastrop county, member of the Smithville Chapter of the Knights of Columbus, Building Good Citizens for Texas Character Education Committee, Board Member of the Bastrop MLK Scholarship Committee, past Board Member of the Bastrop Economic Development Corporation, past Board Member of the Family Crisis Center, past distinguished President and Lt. Governor of the Optimist Club of Bastrop and South Central Texas, past Board Member of Literacy Volunteers of America–Bastrop, and proud founder of the Bastrop County Martin Luther King Holiday Commission. Dock Jackson is an active member of his church, Ascension Catholic Church where he sings in the church choir, serves on the pastoral council, and as a Eucharistic minister and lay reader. Previous honors and appointments have included serving on the 1995 White House Conference on Aging (appointed by Governor Ann Richards and confirmed by President Bill Clinton), Texas Municipal Advisory Council (Appointed by Attorney Generals Morales and Cornyn), Capital Area Planning Council Regional Review Committee (Appointed by Governor Ann Richards) and being named an Outstanding Male Role Model by the Austin Villager newspaper, Outstanding Professional Member of the Minorities in Leisure Services and Texas Recreation and Park Society (twice), as well as serving as President of the Bastrop County Democratic Club for several years. He has also received the prestigious President’s Award from the Texas Recreation and Park Society. Dock Jackson’s character of endurance, drive, and integrity, was derived from his extended family while living on a small farm in Bastrop with his grandparents, John and Geneva Lee Mayes. They worked side by side raising pigs, chickens, selling eggs and vegetables from their garden to support themselves. Dock’s values of the importance of higher education, hard work, community service, faith, and honesty became imbedded by role models such as his great grandfather and great uncle John Wesley and Grover C. Lee who were local merchants, and his uncle and aunt, Riley C. Jackson and Birdie Lee Jackson whom were local educators. Along with his cousin Rev. Bernie Jackson, a successful minister in the Bastrop community and his mother and step-father that are both ministers in the Dallas area, Jackson’s family’s commitment to serve their community has been demonstrated for over five generations as they choose to serve the Bastrop community to include public service. Jackson recently chaired the efforts to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the City of Bastrop. Dock was educated in the Bastrop schools and continued his education at Southwest Texas State University and the University of Texas at Austin. During his tenure as TML President, Dock Jackson was the statewide leader that strived in forging a lasting partnership between TML and the Texas Association of Counties to work on areas of mutual interest to communities and their taxpayers regarding local control vs. state control. He hopes to utilize his expertise in serving the City of Bastrop, other cities within the state and county partnerships to best serve you as your County Commissioner. He believes he can continue to make a difference in improving the quality of life for many more as your County Commissioner. His issues include: · Support for Opportunity Bastrop County Plan · Support for local control of land and property · Support for improved roads and streets · Support of cooperative projects between city and county · Support for farmers and ranchers’ rights · Support for parks, wildlife and quality of life issues · Support of better health programs for youth, families and seniors · Support of water rights and other issues important to Bastrop County Please, keep watching this site for more updates on Councilman Jackson’s agenda and platform for Bastrop County in his quest for the Precinct 1 seat on the Bastrop County Commissioners’ Court or email him at this site if you would like to volunteer to assist Dock in improving the quality of lives for those living in this great county. Democratic Candidate “An Experienced Voice of Action for Bastrop County” |
