🔒Jacobs focuses on jobs, crime, education to improve economy

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Giselle Jacobs knows hardship. She was a teen mom, has been homeless and battered, lost a son to a genetic disorder, and saw her oldest child jailed.

But the 50-year-old community advocate has rebounded to run her own cleaning business, buy a home and see a child through college. She knows she may not be the typical mayoral candidate, but she speaks openly about her past to give hope to others who may be struggling.

“I connect more with the underserved, with the underdog, those of us who know what it's like to suffer,” Jacobs said.

She would like to see more focus put back on traditional families. Among her advocacies, Jacobs founded Children of Color Organization Inc. (COCO) in 2009 as a support group for children and families of incarcerated parents trying to break the cycle of familial incarceration. She no longer runs it but remains involved helping families in need.

After talking with community leaders whom she felt would make good mayoral candidates, but who chose not to run, some of those people instead encouraged her to run, Jacobs said, explaining her decision.

Jacobs is currently the owner/operator of Sister Soldier LLC. The name reflects her Army service from 1985-88. Sister Soldier, with a rented office above a strip center at 248 Farmington Ave., started as a lead and asbestos inspection service in 2012, but she transitioned it to cleaning last year, doing commercial janitorial, residential housekeeping and construction cleanup.

Born and raised in Hartford, Jacobs was already a mother when she graduated Hartford Public High in 1983. She chose the military over college, but took some college classes and educated herself the best she could with her limited resources.

Before starting COCO, she had been assistant executive director for the Minority Construction Council in the city of Hartford. Earlier experience included several years as an administrative assistant and target balance analyst in the banking industry. She also worked for several community organizations.

How would you assess Hartford's current economy? What are your top two economic development initiatives to improve the city?

I'm speaking from a mother's perspective and from an advocate's and business owner's perspective: it sucks. The economy sucks.

I returned [to Hartford] in January of 2008 [after a couple years in Boston], and I was unable to find work despite the fact that I was employable, despite the fact that I didn't have a felony.

However, I saw hundreds of individuals come into my city daily, Monday through Friday, work, get paid on Friday and leave. That was bothersome.

Of course, jobs would be at the top of my economic development agenda. I know what the struggle was like for me, being a single parent, not getting work, having an honor student attending Weaver High and not even able to, at times, buy him school clothes because of the economy. So, yes, jobs, employment for the people who live here.

Reducing crime would also be a priority. It would be the crime and it would be jobs and I believe with jobs, crime is reduced.

What can be done to reduce the 74.29 mill property tax rate that businesses are subjected to?

My limited understanding of how the mill rate works is that the more taxes that are being paid here in Hartford, then the mill rate lessens. So I could see us having conversations on how to go about assisting others from our community in becoming entrepreneurs and business owners.

With multiple transportation projects in various stages of completion, what is your long-term plan for how people will move to, from and around Hartford?

CTfastrak is the bomb, I'm really happy that came about. I have contracts in New Britain, so, yes, I love the fastrak. The rails, I travel a lot, so if I was able to catch a rail from here to New Haven, even New York or Springfield, I would love to be able to have discussions about those types of initiatives continuing. Also, I have a 10 year-old son, we're always going bike riding. Wouldn't it be nice if we had bike trails that took us out of our environment into other elements so that my son can see that there's a bigger picture than just Hartford.

How will you grow the momentum in downtown brought by the new housing developments and projects like Front Street?

It's a great idea that UConn will bring in some young blood. I would like to see us get to a point where we're able to continue with the development, bringing in more retail stores. To be honest with you, there's no place [near Front Street] right now that I could afford to shop or eat at. So to build more momentum, I would like to see affordable retail stores that would attract everyone. I would like to see more affordable restaurants because I love to eat and I love to go out to eat, but when I'm looking for someplace to go right now, I have to look for something within my means. I would like to see more restaurants and retail shops that are affordable for all. That would attract all levels of individuals from all levels of economic stature.

How we build more momentum is also by having affordable housing.

What's your opinion on the Downtown North development, including the new baseball stadium? How would you improve or leverage the development?

It's obvious that Downtown North is being developed, and that's an awesome thing. As it relates to the baseball stadium, I'm somewhat concerned as to the process and the community not being more involved in the process, but as it stands now, it's happening.

I'm more of a solutions-oriented person, so I think we need to get past how it came about and get more into what are we going to do now to make sure that it works and it works for everyone to lessen the concerns of the community who feel as though it will be the individuals who live here working concessions and those who don't working more in the managerial positions.

I wouldn't look to improve the development myself. I would look for the community's input as to how do we improve it and how do we move forward. I don't believe a mayor should operate in a vacuum. I believe we should look to other individuals, whether it be seniors or business owners who are already operating there, coming together, collaborating, we need to do more of that.

What must Hartford do to attract more businesses?

First we need to make sure that the businesses we already have here are doing well.

I would also like to see more support for Hartford residents who want to start their own businesses.

I would also be looking at crime. Are things being done to reduce the crime in the community? I would be looking at the schools. Right now, we have a lot of parents, I'm one, who are not too happy about what's happening with our school system.

I would be looking at places of entertainment. Is there going to be something to do when I close down my business at 5 or 6 o'clock? Does the whole city continue to close down at 5? All of those will be things that I would look at and I think those are things that need to be discussed and addressed as we look at bringing in new businesses.

What should happen with the XL Center?

I would hate to see it go away. It's almost a part of who we are as a community. But I do think something needs to happen in order for us to be more competitive. As of right now, everyone goes to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods if they are looking for a venue.

So yes, I wouldn't want to see it go away, but I wouldn't want to see a whole lot of resources going to it either when we're already struggling financially. I just think that there are other things that are of more importance right now.n