Staff Report

Matthew Jordan Sr. is seeking the District 1 seat on the Troy City Council.

Jordan, who was the first African American noncommissioned officer with the Alabama National Guard in Troy, is a 1968 Veteran of the Vietnam War.

He attended Troy State University, is a 1975 graduate of the Montgomery Police Academy and a 1985 graduate of the National Academy of Corrections at the University of Colorado. He has over 20 years of experience in administrative and supervising with the Alabama Department of Corrections.

In community and civic organizations, Jordan serves as vice president of the Carroll Street Cemetery board and is a member of the Careerman’s Club. He attends Troy Seventh Day Adventist Church..

Jordan said he offers "progressive leadership for positive changes in District 1.

His main campaign issue is children and young African American males and females.

He said he sees "the children suffering from social and economic depression" and believes Troy needs "more industries that are willing to increase the salaries of the working man and woman. The cost of living has increased making it impossible to live on a minimum wage job."

In order to maintain a "safe society," Jordan believes "we must make every step necessary to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

"In District 1, over 50 percent of our children are walking to school over one and a half miles in bad weather," Jordan said.

He said the municipal election on Aug. 22 "test the conscience of the African American community."

Leadership, he said, "does not come from showmanship, it comes from workmanship."