Jackson eyes new 39th state House District

Jackson

After an unsuccessful bid for the state Senate in 2010, Commerce Township Democrat Pam Jackson now has her eyes on a new state House district that includes Commerce, Wolverine Lake, Wixom, and the western half of West Bloomfield Township.

Jackson, who has been working and teaching in schools for 35 years and used to own her own construction company, said that many issues at the state level have prompted her current run for a legislative job in Lansing.

“There’s still a lot of issues at the state level that have to take place,” she said. “I really need to get in to Lansing to make some changes.”

Among those, she said, are dealing with issues facing education, the employment market, and the film industry in Michigan. In addition, school funding, the state’s infrastructure, and repealing the state’s pension tax would all be on her list of priorities if she is successful in the Aug. 7 primary election and a Nov. 6 election against Wixom Republican Nicholas Kennedy, who announced he was running for the new state House seat this year.

Jackson is in the process of completing her doctoral dissertation on the corrections system.

“I can walk into the House with expertise in the educational system, construction arena, and prison system,” she said.

The filing deadline for candidates is May 15.

State representatives serve two-year terms and are currently paid $79,650 per year.