MOUNT VERNON – U.S. Army veteran and former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs therapist Taylor Jacklin has filed a petition to seek the Mount Vernon City Council Third Ward seat as a write-in candidate.
Neither party nominated a Third Ward city council candidate in last May’s primary election; therefore, all write-in candidates will officially be non-partisan.
“I enjoyed a wonderful childhood in Mount Vernon, and after my military service and beginning my career at Veterans Affairs hospitals, I knew this is where my wife Katie and I would return to raise our family,” Jacklin said. “I am eager to invest the time and energy into local government to make sure Mount Vernon gives our three children what it gave to me.”
Jacklin, a 2002 Mount Vernon High School graduate, earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio Dominican University and his Master of Social Work degree from The Ohio State University.
He was a case manager for Behavioral Health Care Partners of Central Ohio before serving in the Army from 2013 to 2017. During his deployment to Iraq, Jacklin, a combat medic, provided field training to Iraqi nationals engaged in hostilities against ISIS militants.
Following active military duty, Jacklin continued to serve in a succession of case management and therapeutic roles at Veterans Affairs hospitals in Chillicothe and Columbus. He capped his VA career as the Whole Health program director from 2021 to 2025, when he returned to Mount Vernon to launch his private therapy practice.
“My career as a therapist has been focused on improving the individual lives of veterans,” Jacklin said. “ I believe those same interpersonal skills will serve me well as a member of city council, reminding me to be a great listener and a good steward of our human resources.”
Previous elections experience
Earlier in his career, Jacklin served as an executive assistant to the Director of Elections at the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office. He provided administrative and communications support in the Elections Division, which familiarized him with the mechanics of seeking and serving in elective offices from the local to state level.
Jacklin said he intends to work hard in the remaining weeks before the election to reach out to as many voters as possible to stress the ease of writing in “Taylor Jacklin” for Third Ward City Council.
Jacklin resides at 24 Woodlake Trail with his wife Katie, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, and their three children.