(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“We need help. Not just Rochester, but Beaver County in general.”

Those words, coming from Rochester mayor Keith Jackson, summarized the feeling of frustration surrounding the path towards his vision for the city that he’s lived in for 69 years. Mayor Jackson sat down with Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County to discuss these issues that center around his power as mayor–a position he was elected to in 2018–and the pushback from the Council whom Jackson feels has been less than cooperative.

“It all started before I became mayor,” Jackson stated. “When they found out I was running for mayor–certain people–they started harassing me, they started following me around, they started making up stories that I had done this or done that…I believe I might have been a threat to them, but how? I don’t have a clue.”

“As of today, they still don’t accept me as their mayor…but I’m here, and I’m not going nowhere.”

Jackson said that he feels that selfish intentions are the key blockade in success for Rochester and for Beaver County itself, and that public input will be a major factor in turning things around. “I speak with a lot of people, and they complain to me about things that are going on that they wish would change,” Jackson said. “People are tired of hearing and seeing negative things and things being repeated over and over and over again…’we don’t have this, we don’t have that’…but it seems like as soon as they [those in charge] want something, they can get it. These are what the people are complaining about.”

To watch the full interview with Mayor Keith Jackson, click on the Facebook feed below.