Newly appointed council member plans to uplift South Side

By Jazmine Knight

After a city council seat remained vacant for several weeks, its new District II representative is ready to begin working to better St. Joseph, and particularly, the South Side.

Jason Eslinger, a personal injury and criminal attorney, was sworn into office Tuesday, April 9 after being selected by the council April 4. During his two-year term, he is hoping to bring forward initiatives to help beautify the South Side of St. Joseph.

”I’m still trying to figure out how everything works currently, so I don’t think anything’s going to happen real soon,” Eslinger said. “But my goal would be, you know, and it has always been, is to hopefully clean up the city a little bit.”

He mentioned how St. Joseph visitors are always taken aback by the state of the South Side of the community, describing the area as full of blight. However, in light of his new position, he hopes to change that.

“Hopefully we can work together as a council and maybe even with the county and correct some of those,” he said.

With his background in law and justice, he knows those skills will carry over into his role as a city council member.

Eslinger said his background and skills in law and justice will carry into his role as a city council member.

“In the legal field, we do a lot of research and writing, which involves a lot of reading. And in my couple of days, I’ve already realized there’s a lot of reading in the city council,” Eslinger said. “So hopefully that will help me in the end to gain knowledge to be able to dive a little deeper into the subjects.”

Also, this isn’t his first time running for this position. He originally ran six years ago and only lost by a few votes.

Eslinger actually ran for the position six years ago and only lost by a few votes.

“(I) saw this opportunity pop up this time. And it was for the duration of a two-year term. So I thought that would be perfect to see if I like it,” he said.

Eslinger said he’s excited for the opportunity but most excited to learn about the city’s financial plans.

“Maybe just kind of the budget and kind of being able to set that for the next year and work together as a council. So hopefully we can do good things,” he said.

Eslinger said he wants South Side residents to know that he is there for them and wants to serve as a voice. Being from District II himself, he takes pride in his community.

“I grew up in the South Side. I graduated from Benton High School, moved away for about 15 years, and I decided to move back to the South Side because that’s where my roots were and that’s where I enjoy being,” he said. “So I’m here. I’m back in the South Side for those residents and hopefully we can do good and that they can always count on me to do something right for them.”

He understands that the area may seem a little overshadowed by other parts of the city, but he wants to do something about that.

“I think the end into the city gets forgotten a lot, so hopefully we can change that to where the city is, you know, created equally. But hopefully the money is divided equally among the city,” Eslinger said.

South Side resident Mike Musser, who taught at Benton High School for 30 years and also happened to be one of Eslinger’s high school educators, said he positively remembers him as a student.

“Jason was a student over there, very active in extracurriculars and a very good student,” Musser said. “I think it’s great. I think he’ll represent the South End. And he’s always been very, very, very loyal to the South End guy.”

Musser said he has no doubt that Eslinger will “put the South End way ahead of where it needs to be.”

“Jason, the way I understood his comments were, he really wants to spend a lot of effort with the appearance of the South (End) here. And I think that’s a great idea,” he said.

Musser, a third-generation Benton High School graduate, said his kids and now his grandkids attend Benton. He knows Eslinger will put his all into caring for beloved South End spots.

“Hyde Park is probably one of the cornerstones of the whole South (End). And I know he’ll be very active in the schools and things like that. So, he’ll do fine. He’s a South-Ender,” Musser said.