First ward alderman David Jacobson will be running for mayor of DeKalb.

Jacobson, who was elected alderman in April 2011, is aiming to be a candidate on the ballot during the April 9 general election. Jacobson joins John Rey, Mike Verbic and Jennifer Groce in the race for the position. All candidates are required to obtain a petition signed by about 300 DeKalb residents before their name will be appear on the ballot.

Jacobson said his main goals as mayor would be to improve the way the city handles its finances, to improve the co-operation between NIU and DeKalb and to maintain his four pillars of good government.

“Being alderman for almost two years, I’ve seen a disconnect between the city and the university,” Jacobson said. “We can’t seem to bridge that gap. We’re all in this together, and NIU and DeKalb have to work together.”

Jacobson also said he intends to operate DeKalb efficiently and openly if elected, which he said would help the city.

“I want DeKalb to work on a four-pillar plan,” Jacobson said. “We need accountability from our officials to all of their constituents, transparency so the government can be truthful and open to public discourse, fiscal responsibility because residents are already stretched to the limit as is and leadership to provide the vision for more opportunities for the city.”

Fiscally, Jacobson said he saw room for improvement, including changing the way the city handles development in the downtown area,

“We need to do what’s right for all of DeKalb,” Jacobson said. “Financially, I feel the city has lost its way. We, as a city government, need to learn to do more with less.”

Jacobson earned an associate of arts degree from Kishwaukee Community College and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from NIU. He was an active member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity on campus and is currently serving on the national board for the fraternity. Jacobson also serves as a member of the of the Greek Affinity Council through the NIU Alumni Association.