Tito Jackson Wins Big in District 7 City Council Race

will represent a portion of Jamaica Plain on the City Council after scoring a runaway victory in Tuesday’s special municipal election.

According to unofficial results, Jackson secured 82 percent of the vote to opponent ’ 16 percent. Just 3,452 votes were cast across the district, roughly 8.4 percent of registered voters.

Jackson, Deval Patrick’s former campaign political director, will take over the council seat formerly held by Chuck Turner, who was after a U.S. District Court jury found him guilty of accepting a bribe and then lying about it to the FBI.

The District 7 seat has been vacant since early December, leaving parts of Egleston Square, Roxbury, Lower Roxbury and portions of the South End, Fenway and Dorchester without district-specific council representation. The only part of District 7 that is clearly in JP is Ward 11, Precinct 5, which votes at Elderly Housing 1990 Columbus Ave.

Last Thursday, Jackson told a group of South End residents that, if elected, he plans to be a visible presence in the neighborhood by utilizing a mobile office. He also promised to bridge the gap between city departments and citizens.

“We need to bring department heads out of City Hall and into the neighborhoods when it’s called for, so we can hold them accountable for the way their decisions impact the community,” he said.

Jackson was the first candidate to announce his campaign for the District 7 seat, doing so just a few weeks after Turner stepped down. It was Jackson's second campaign, he was defeated in his run for an at-large seat in 2009.

"Every day as I drive through this district, I see obstacles and opportunities everywhere," Jackson said in a press release announcing his campaign. "My candidacy is about maximizing the opportunities and overcoming the obstacles. With your help and partnership we will move District 7 forward."