sheltered in all-Jewish neighborhoods,
he never met gentiles until he got into
drugs. "Addiction doesn't know any
boundaries," he said.
As one of the few Jews in Port
Huron, Ackerman identifies strongly.
"Being Jewish — that's who I am. I
see it as my race, even if the Supreme
Court doesn't agree. [But] I don't run
around with a flag and say, 'I'm the
Jewish mayor.' I live in a Christian
community; they don't have a concept
of Judaism."
Recently, a fifth-grader asked the
mayor when he "let Jesus into [his]
heart." Having already stated that he
is a Jew, Ackerman explained that
"Judaism doesn't work that way, and
having read [some Christian sources],
I can tell you that I live my life by
many of the tenets proposed by Jesus
Christ."
Ackerman, whose gold wedding
ring bears the Hebrew marriage
vdocli li (I am my
phrase, Ani
beloved's and my beloved is mine),
said he's at his "most Jewish" when he
visits his parents in Florida. His sister,
Deann Fierman, owns the Riverfront
'1 Cafe near Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
(His wife, Nancee Armstrong, an edu-
cator, is not Jewish.)
"We've [Jews] always been a com-
munity people," he said. In Port
Huron, he feels it the most, especially
being "disconnected" from a large Jew-
ish community.
y ninth grade, Ackerman
had _been shipped to an Illi-
nois military academy,
where he was first intro-
duced to drinking. Alcohol, he said,
was his "key to escape." The drugs and
parrying continued for 16 years. He
married at 30, had a daughter and
later divorced. His 11-year-old daugh-
ter lives with her mother in Grosse
Pointe.
Finally, after injecting some bad
cocaine and fighting for his life, Ack-
erman was scared into a drug rehabili-
tation center and 12-step recovery
program. Eventually, he joined up
with a group of sober bikers.
On sunny spring days, Ackerman
takes out his bright blue 1987 FLHTP
Harley Davidson certified police bike
and cruises to Algonac. Stuck to the
glass is a "DARE to keep kids off
drugs" sticker. He's had the bike for
three years.
Ackerman looks more like a biker
than a mayor. He saunters through
town in jeans, a blazer and black cow-
boy boots. The rough look has won
him acclaim as well as some hard criti-
Choices, the program Ackerman start-
cism — at his first city council meet-
ed with his wife three years ago to give
ing, a woman hurled insults at Acker-
kids an alternative to joining a gang.
man, criticizing him for being an
Clear Choices provides a safe place for
addict. He responds only with corn-
teenagers to go after school and on
passion.
weekends —.kids can exercise, play
Angela Sloan works at the store that pool, fooz ball, ping pong or air hock-
ey, do homework on donated comput-
sells clothing for the Border Cats, Port
ers or just hang out and listen to
Huron's minor league hockey farm
team. She supports the mayor.
music.
"Why do kids join gangs? Love,
"He's a great guy; he's always happy
security ... the right reasons, just the
when he stops by," she said. "I like
wrong thing," he said. "They need
him; he's down-to-earth."
something healthy. [Clear Choices is]
Wherever he goes, they call him by
his biker name, Ajax. "When we were
just an extension of who I am."
Brian J. Moeller, captain of the sup-
running around in our gang in Oak
Park, one guy read the book, The War- port services bureau of the Port Huron
Police Department, said the police
riors. The leader of the warriors was
Ajax; he felt I remind-
ed him of Ajax," Ack-
erman explained.
"Today, people say,
`Isn't that a soap clean-
er?' But ironically, I'm
clean today. You can
change your life
around, and the name
still fits."
In 1989, Ackerman
came to Port Huron,
at the mouth of Lake
Huron, by way of a
woman. "That rela-
tionship never panned
out," he said.
But he stayed. New
to town, with little
Mayor Gerald 'Ajax" Ackerman.
cash, having spent
most of his resources
force "gets along with Ajax real well.
to get there, he ended up homeless.
We had a relationship with Ajax
"That Catch-22 thing — you have to
before he was mayor." When you ride
have a place to stay to have a job, and
a Harley and sport a long beard and
you have to have a job to have a place
ponytail, Ackerman noted, the police
to stay," he said.
find out who you are right away.
For a while, Ackerman slept on
"He's probably a good role model
friends' couches, but in December of
for those kids that have slipped and
1989, he found himself on the
fallen," said Moeller. "He's a good
streets.
example of someone who can get up
Thanks to the generosity of a 24-
and brush himself off. Everybody
hour restaurant which he used as his
makes mistakes. Here's an example ...
office, he searched for employment,
he's been a success, rebounded."
and ultimately found housing assis-
Ackerman admitted that he's not
tance, enrolled in school and got a job
"the run-of-the-mill suit." When
at Harbor for Youth, a home for run-
away children. Ackerman is now a cer- speaking at schools, he promises stu-
dents that he will tell them the truth,
tified addictions counselor.
even if it's not pretty. Although most
"When I was young — I still am,
people who live in Port Huron like the
I'm never growing up — I had a clear
mayor, it's the kids that flock to him.
perception of the world around me,"
"I'm their mayor," he said. "I'm just a
said Ackerman. "Adults told me to
regular guy who's been there and done
shut up. I was left with the feeling
that."
that I was stupid. I was right then,
Ackerman ran for city council two
and I'm right now. Children need to
and a half years ago, winning by one
be able to express themselves."
He said this in an old church build- vote. His opponent demanded a
recount, which produced a tie. They
ing that has been taken over by Clear
picked out of a hat for the seat, and
Ackerman lost.
Then the mayor pro tem resigned,
leaving a seat open. And Ackerman
won the election.
Since becoming mayor last Novem-
ber, Ackerman has worked even harder
with local police to quell a rash of
gang violence that erupted about four
years ago. When a young man was
killed on 15th and Lapeer, the com-
munity formed a task force comprised
of police officers, citizens, teachers and
religious leaders; since then, there has
been a "dramatic reduction in the visi-
bility of gang-related behavior and
gang-related crime," he said.
ckerman has a gen-
erous smile and a
soft voice that wraps
around you like a
blanket. Behind his unclut-
tered desk is a window looking
out onto the Blue Water
Bridges and the brilliant teal
water of the St. Clair River. He
knows every inch of the city.
Port Huron is a middle class
to lower income town, and
home to a large industrial base
— mostly automotive feeder
manufacturers. It's touted as
the boyhood home of Thomas
Edison, although the house in
which he lived for nine years
has been replaced by a hotel.
There is not a single coffee
shop in the city limits, except
for a Starbucks within a Barnes &
Noble book store. Ackerman thinks
that's a crime.
He's got a lot to do. First, he wants
to inject downtown retail Port Huron
with the Northland-style "hustle and
bustle" he knew as a kid. He wants to
boost tourism and collaborate more
with neighboring Sarnia, Ont. He
wants to transform his town, like he
•has himself.
He has not experienced any anti-
Semitism, although the mayor admits
that some teenagers use hateful sym-
bolism without knowing its true
meaning. Recently, leaders of the
lower economic south end of town
resurrected a "master plan" which was
created years ago to guide neighbor-
hood development. They asked the
mayor for his take; he said, "I am
highly opposed to anything called
`The Master Plan.' They don't under-
stand [the connection to Adolf
Hitler]. It doesn't have meaning [for
them] as it does for me." ❑
4/10
1998
9