EDITOR’S NOTE: The Suffolk News-Herald has invited candidates for all of the city’s contested offices to submit 400-word columns soliciting the votes of Suffolk citizens on Election Day. A different race will be highlighted on this page each day through Thursday, Oct. 30. All of the candidates were notified of the opportunity at the same time via email, and follow-up telephone calls were made to verify receipt of the emails. Today features the City Council race in the Cypress Borough, which pits incumbent Charles Brown against challengers Leroy Bennett and Clinton Jenkins. Tomorrow’s installment will include columns from candidates for the City Council seat from the Holy Neck Borough.

By Clinton L. Jenkins

Clinton L. Jenkins is a candidate for Suffolk City Council. After citizens expressed to him that they cannot keep voting for the same current and past elected representatives and expecting different results, these community leaders requested he seek the Cypress Borough Suffolk City Council.

Jenkins is committed to push for improvements in transparency and accountability in city government by keeping the citizens informed and involved in the governing process. He vowed to improve the working relationship between City Council and the School Board through negotiations, setting priorities and identifying overlapping services and resources.

He will work to improve economic development in Suffolk. Economic development is one means of enhancing the city’s tax base and improving the quality of life for Suffolk’s citizens. This to include an emphasis towards more quality and better paying jobs.

He will also work to bridge the gap between North Suffolk and Downtown Suffolk and work to improve public transportation, roads and reduce traffic congestion.

His passion is to find, support, increase awareness and develop community programs that relieve financial burden for senior citizens. His passion also is to increase and improve recreational programs for our children, grandchildren and adults, and improve access to Suffolk’s rivers and waterways for recreation, fishing and boating, and to lead the push to decrease youth violence among our children and grandchildren in Suffolk and beyond.

Jenkins is 52. He is a 1981 graduate of John F. Kennedy High School, underwent graduate studies at Southeastern Baptist Theology Seminary, and earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources administration from Saint Leo University and an associate degree from Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria.

He has over 27 years of professional experience managing administrative support functions, including subcontract administrative responsibilities, which include budgeting and planning, coordinating and managing. This expertise goes along with both purchasing and engineering support functions. His experience also included warehouse management, integrated logistics support planning and configuration management support with civilian and Department of Defense organizations.

His educational and logistics experience gives him the expertise to analyze processes, procedures and conduct planning. He is expertly trained in various computer applications, along with analyzing computer processes.

These qualities will be a tremendous asset to a new and improved Suffolk envisioned by those who requested that he aid this fair city by announcing his candidacy. Clinton Jenkins has the education, experience, and training to move Suffolk into the 21^st century.