FROM MHCC GRAD TO FIRST BLACK MAN ON GRESHAM CITY COUNCIL

In the Nov. 3 election, MHCC graduate Vincent Jones-Dixon was elected to Gresham City Council Position 3. He was originally appointed to the council in July to fill a vacant seat.

A former funeral director and current program manager at Africa New Life Ministries, he retained his seat by defeating four rivals on the ballot. He is the first Black man to hold a spot on the Gresham City Council.

Some of his roles and jobs on the council are to give staff direction, inform city policy, listen to community members, and get information and input before council meetings. He also learns from various department directors and other scopes of work, as well as meeting with other councilors and discussing the needs of the community.

Jones-Dixon attended Roosevelt High School in Northwest Portland for two years, and then De La Salle North Catholic High School, where he graduated in 2007.

He then earned a degree in Integrated Media and Broadcasting in 2013 from Mt. Hood. Some of his favorite memories from MHCC include his cultural anthropology class and working in the broadcasting program, he said.

Now married with two children, Jones-Dixon has been doing community work and volunteering for about seven-eight years and has been a Gresham resident for about 10 years.

His favorite hobbies include working with others, listening to jazz/blues music, reading (autobiographies), and taking his children to the park as a family and for playdates, he said.

As for city council and the future, Jones-Dixon has many goals.

“My goal is to continue to build community and work with community at City Hall,” he said. A couple specific issues he has in mind is public safety and police – huge topics, given the events of 2020.

One aspect that impacted him and his journey to run for office was his brother, who was tragically shot and killed in 2013.

“My brother, Andreas, is one of the main reasons why I choose to run and ultimately serve on city council. My motto is, ‘You can if you will; you will if you can,’ ” said Jones-Dixon. “This is a lesson I learned shortly after my brother’s passing and as I became more intentional about paying attention to the needs of the community.”

He expressed an emphasis on collective responsibility that is part of a community. He also hopes to connect and inform the community about significant events, as well as having a clear path forward, he said. An important part of that is incorporating people of all backgrounds into the community, making them feel welcome.

He’s also most looking forward to responsibility and making decisions, as well as serving for the next four years.

“Gresham is an amazing city and place,” he said.

He encourages Mt. Hood students and community members to reach out to him via email ([email protected]) or by phone at 503-907-4812 if they have questions or ideas for the city.

“Everybody has a role to play,” he said.