Denison grounds crew worker Joshua Jenkins is running for city council in the 4th Ward of Newark, OH.

AARON SKUBBY, Editor-in-Chief—

When he’s not working at Denison as part of the grounds crew, Joshua Jenkins is seeking to build bridges across communities through his campaign for Newark City Council, with the apt slogan “Community Through Unity.” 

Jenkins is running to represent Newark’s 4th Ward, which encompasses the South-central portion of Newark. He is working alongside campaign manager Keija Parssinen, who is a Granville resident and a professor of English at Kenyon College. He is running against incumbent councilman Mark Labutis.

Jenkins is committed to trying to serve the people of Newark, and building greater community through conversation and transparency. “One thing that really stood out to me is going around and having conversations with different people, and the lack of transparency that they receive, the lack of somebody willing to serve them that was sworn into office,” he said.

Born and raised in Newark Ohio on Elmwood Avenue, Jenkins grew up in a single parent household and was caught up in the criminal justice system as a juvenile. “For a long time I was kind of lost. I was involved with all the wrong people and all the wrong activities. I was raised by just my mother,” he said. 

Through the help of mentorship and building connections, Jenkins has been able to translate his experiences into a drive for activism and service, which he hopes to exemplify through serving on Newark City Council. “I have a heart for the people. I know what it’s like to be given up on. I got sucked into a system and everyone gave up on me,” he said.“I really had a lot of people that rallied around me. I’ve always had this heart to want to help people, I just didn’t know how to help people. I didn’t know where my calling was.”

Prior to starting his campaign, Jenkins had been heavily involved in racial justice activism in Licking County, which is over 90% white. He helped co-found the Community Alliance for Racial Justice alongside Jamie Holderman, a nonprofit dedicated to “serving Black families through advocacy, education, civic engagement, and celebration.” 

Jenkins organized the first Black Lives Matter protest in Newark Ohio in June of 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd. He also helped plan subsequent protests throughout Licking County, including in Granville. At one of these protests is where he first met Keija Parssinen.

“I met Josh in June of 2020, we were putting together a protest in Granville and he had already organized a couple of events in Newark, ‘’ Parssinen said. “He was lovely to work with, he was all about building community.”

In March of 2021, Jenkins approached Parssinen about acting as his campaign manager for his city council race. “You know I’ve only lived here for two years, and I don’t really know a lot about Newark since I don’t live there, and I’ve never run a political campaign,” she said. “If you’re content to have someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing but who is a quick study, then I would be happy to help you out.”

Newark and Granville may be only seven and a half miles away from each other, but in many ways they are a world apart. According to the United States Census, the median household income in Granville from 2015-2019 was $118,375, compared to only $45,039 for Newark. 2018 data from the Small-area Life Expectancy Estimates Project found life expectancy in Granville to be up to 15 years longer than some tracts in Newark.

Bridging this divide between Newark and Granville is a goal of Jenkins’ campaign, and is exemplified through his partnership with Parssinen. “I’ve been trying to bridge this gap between Newark and Granville for so many years. Granville has so much to offer, and I believe our city has so many things that we can offer other cities,” Jenkins said.

Parssinen feels the disconnect between the two cities as well. While Granville may be more affluent, many residents depend on Newark for health care, shopping, and other important services. The challenge facing Granville is “living up to the progressive rhetoric that many people believe in in the village,” she said. “We’re not quite the welcoming community we would like to be yet.” 

The gap between Newark and Granville isn’t the only one that Jenkins is interested in crossing. He is committed to building relationships and serving the Newark community regardless of party affiliation. “I don’t care if you’re an independent, a democrat, or a republican. When you’re sworn into office you have one duty, and that is to protect and serve the people. Period. I want to get in there and make sure that people are taken care of,” he said.

With the final legs of the election closing in, Jenkins reflects on the support that everyone around him has given him, especially his family.

When Jenkins participated in a debate at Newark High School on October 21, his mother and sister, Tami Davis and Tiffany Mulcare, arrived wearing t-shirts adorned with sparkling blue letters reading “Vote Jenkins Ward 4.” 

Family has been critical in Jenkins life and work. “Once I had my first child my whole life changed,” he said. Jenkins is father to eight children – seven girls and one boy, and husband to his wife Taylor. “He’s got his own baseball team,” Davis joked. 

Jenkins’ interest in public service also has some roots in his upbringing. “I know his stepfather, he was very political. It started real young with him at the dinner table, and he was very into it then. It made it even better now that he knew so much already. He just wants to be that change,” Mulcare said.