Jackson, who is easily spotted in high-heeled shoes
strolling around Solvang with her schnauzer, Oliver, says she has been touched
by the thanks she’s received from the public as well as other council members.
“It was heart warming,” she
says of the meeting, “I wanted to cry a few times”
Most people at the meeting said they’d still see Jackson
“on the streets,” though it isn’t as though she will be out of the public
service spotlight.
Jackson is still executive director of the Solvang
Chamber of Commerce, spearheading the centennial committee; on the Solvang
beautification task-force; on the Theaterfest board;
and part of the group responsible for making the state park along High Meadow
and Ranch road.
But even with all of her commitments, Jackson says she
never spread her time too thin.
“So many things
overlapped, but they all helped the city of Solvang in one way or another,” she
says matter-of-factly.
She says being a part of the chamber helped her become an
“ear for the community” and made her a better city council member.
She looks out the window of the Bulldog Café, her common
haunt, as she considers her biggest accomplishments during her years on the
council. The visual improvements she helped pushed, such as the permanent tree
lighting, the established relationships with other county government officials
and being part of the fire consolidation were some of her most important
projects, she decides.
And regrets?
“Never regret,” Jackson says with a firm smile. “There
are lessons to be learned, but you never have to regret.”
The lesson she learned, she says laughing, is how to
campaign differently. She didn’t have the time, due to many other
responsibilities, to campaign for mayor the way she wanted for the November
2008 election.
Had she been elected to continue her position as mayor,
she probably would not have resigned. While different opinions on the city
council are healthy, she says, as of late, they have not been working toward
the benefit of the city and its citizens.
“I think lately there’s been too much discontent and
discord and it’s time to move forward in a very strong way … to remove myself
from the equation could make this happen.”
She is proud of the city staff and its work for the
community. Jackson says “life goes on” and she wants to continue to make
Solvang the best city it can be. “I still have a role to play, just in a
different way.”
Reach Lauren Crecelius at
lcrecelius@syvjournal.com.