Linda Jackson (politician)

Linda D. Jackson is a Canadian politician and former mayor of Vaughan, Ontario. Jackson has been a resident of the City of Vaughan since 1966 and was elected as Mayor on November 14, 2006. Jackson was defeated by Maurizio Bevilacqua in the 2010 Vaughan municipal election.

Jackson’s election to the role of Mayor displaced well known incumbent Michael Di Biase. Jackson won by 90 votes.^[1] Jackson was elected on a platform to clean up City Hall after reports of irregularities under the former Mayor Di Biase.^[2]

Early life and career

Jackson grew up in the Woodbridge neighbourhood of Pine Grove, and attended Woodbridge High School and Thornhill Secondary School. Her father and brothers were active in local hockey, and Jackson was a founding member of the Pine Wood Angels in the early 1970s, the first girls’ hockey team in Vaughan, and later coached boys’ hockey.^[3]

Jackson is the daughter of the late Lorna Jackson, also a former mayor of the city. Lorna Jackson was first elected to Vaughan Council in 1974. Lorna Jackson later became Vaughan’s longest-serving mayor, holding the office from 1982 until her death in office in April 2002. According to Jackson’s official bio, she often discussed municipal politics with her family. Jackson “credits her mother with teaching her the importance of public service and how to effect change in the community”.^[3]

Before running for public office, Jackson worked in human resources and security management for corporations in the city of Vaughan.

Jackson was first elected to the position of ward councillor in 2002 in a by-election. Jackson was then elected as regional councillor in the 2003 municipal election, serving as York Region councillor from Vaughan from 2003 to 2006.

Jackson has served on the Vaughan Health Care Foundation, volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of York Region, and is the past chair of the York Region Abuse Program. Jackson is an avid gardener.

Jackson is married to Mario Campese, with a blended family of three adult daughters, a son and a grandson. Linda and her family live in the Vaughan community of Vellore Village.

Conflict with Council

On December 15, 2008 eight city councilors had a press conference to demand Mayor Jackson's resignation.^[4] Their request came after a lengthy public debate over Jacksons expenses. An audit by Ernst and Young released December 3 found she had not violated any rules.^[5] The report also found “there were no personal expenditures of the mayor that were claimed as business expenses.”^[6]

Jackson rejected calls for her resignation and launched the “Working Together for Vaughan” campaign on January 11, 2009. According to Jackson, the goal of her campaign is to “to restore professionalism and accountability and transparency at City Hall.”^[7] Jackson also presented Council with suggested reforms to the City Expenditure Policy.^[8]

These include:

• Requiring that three signatures be obtained to verify the accuracy of expense claims;
• Mandate specific standards for the use of cell phones and BlackBerrys;
• Mandate specific standards for the Mayor’s and Senior Management Fleet Vehicles;
• Restrict expense claims to business meals only, no alcohol;
• Mandate specific standards for personal expenses, the use of corporate credit cards, and companion expenses; and,
• Mandate specific rules for campaign related city expenses.

Election expenses controversy

On June 18, 2008, an audit of Jackson's 2006 campaign finances found that the politician exceeded her legal spending limit of $120,419 by at least $12,356, or 10 per cent. The auditors, LECG Canada Ltd., say that amount could almost double if what they believed to be unreported contributions in kind at various election events – but couldn't prove – are later verified.

They also found other apparent contraventions of the elections act, including at least five instances where associated companies made donations that exceeded the normal $750 donation limit per company.^[9][10] On April 23, 2009, 68 charges were laid related to how much was spent on her 2006 campaign.^[11]

It was also discovered that Jackson used taxpayer funds to have her Mayoral office swept for 'bugs', or surveillance devices, costing nearly $3,000 "Through a Freedom of Information request, residents Gino and Mary Ruffolo, former supporters turned Jackson critics, uncovered an invoice showing the mayor's office paid Protech Consult Services $2,730 for equipment and labour for "manual and electronic counter surveillance.".^[12]

Notes