Cleveland swears in Jackson as mayor

In the city, 23 percent of residents live in poverty.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Frank Jackson was sworn as Cleveland's 56th mayor Monday, promising to bring new hope to city where nearly a quarter of residents live in poverty and whose population continues to decline.
Jackson said his dream was to make Cleveland a city "where we are one people, that we are one community, living and working together, joined that there will be respect and equality and justice."
The inauguration was held before a packed audience at East Tech High School in the impoverished neighborhood that Jackson represented in city council for 16 years. A free inaugural party will be Saturday at the Cleveland State University arena.
Army veteran
Jackson, 59, an Army veteran of Vietnam, worked his way through college and law school and ran for city council when his beloved mentor died and Jackson disagreed with the new councilman. He became council president in 2001.
In his inaugural remarks, Jackson said he revitalized the ward he represented on council by unifying people to overcome a "rising tide of hopelessness and despair."
The city has been marked by poverty and a declining population.
Cleveland was ranked 12th on the Census Bureau's latest American Community Survey last year with 23 percent of its citizens living in poverty, nearly twice the national average. Cleveland ranked first the year before.
Census figures also show the city's population fell to 458,000 in July 2004, down 3.9 percent from April 2000.
Beat Jane Campbell
The soft-spoken Jackson won election by beating a fellow Democrat, incumbent Mayor Jane Campbell, the city's first woman mayor. Her re-election chances were hurt by tough financial times that led to teacher, police and firefighter layoffs.
Campbell served in the state Legislature and had an urban-suburban constituency as county commissioner before her election as mayor in 2001. She plans to teach during the spring semester at Harvard University as part of a fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.