Vernon Jones
Encyclopedia
Vernon Jones is an American
Democratic
politician
from Georgia
who served as chief executive officer
of Dekalb County, Georgia
, from 2001 until 2009.
to a WWII veteran, Jones grew up on a farm in rural North Carolina
before attending North Carolina Central University
in Durham, NC, earning a B.A. in business administration in 1983.Jones is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Jones later graduated from Harvard's two-week John F. Kennedy School of Government
's Executive Program.
Jones began his career in the telecommunications industry, first working with WorldCom and later BellSouth Corporation. At BellSouth, he was part of a team that established wireless communications in Montevideo
, Uruguay
.
Jones served on the DeKalb Board of Health, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the DeKalb Library Board, the DeKalb Pension Board, and the Board of Visitors for Emory University and North Carolina Central University.
in 1992. He served from 1993 to 2001, during which time he served on the Appropriations and Insurance Committees, the Health and Ecology Committee, the Banking Committee, and a special Judiciary Committee. He was elected as chief executive officer
of Dekalb County, Georgia
in 2000, winning 64% of the vote, and was re-elected in 2004 with 54% of the vote. Jones is the first African American
to serve as CEO of the county, and the youngest ever elected in the county. Under Jones, DeKalb County became one of just 37 counties nationwide to hold a dual AAA bond credit rating
from both Moody's and Standard and Poor's. DeKalb County established the first local Homeland Security Office in 2001, and, under Jones, passed laws creating a new senior center, increasing funding for road, library, and park improvements while maintaining a balanced budget. Jones has been criticized for vetoing pay raises for police officers, illegally using campaign funds to promote the 2005 bond referendum, and was accused of rape
. No charges have ever been filed against Jones for the alleged rape or for misusing campaign finances, and Jones has claimed his innocence throughout both controversies.
In 2010, Jones launched a campaign for the U.S. Congress, representing GA Fourth Congressional District.
against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss
. His campaign saw immediate controversies. In campaign literature, Jones sent out a flier in which he appeared in a picture next to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
with the words "Yes We Can." However, Obama himself stated he not only never posed with Jones (the picture had been digitally altered), he did not endorse Jones or any other candidate for the Democratic nomination for Senate. In response, Jones blamed his "liberal opponents backed by the liberal media" for trying to ruin his campaign.
Jones also received criticism for the appearance of the tagline "VOTE Vernon Jones for GA Senate" on tickets, produced using county funds, for the Dekalb County Blues and Jazz Festival. The company who printed the tickets, supporters of Jones' campaign, have taken responsibility for the incident; the company said it was unaware campaign finance laws made such an action illegal.
Another source of criticism leveled against Jones, mostly by chief rival Jim Martin, attacked his more conservative national record. On his campaign website, Jones acknowledged being a conservative Democrat, and in an interview, told the press he voted for George W. Bush
.
Additionally, Jones donated more than $2,464 in two separate donations to the Georgia Republican Party
in 2001.
On July 15, 2008, Jones won a plurality of votes in the Democratic primary. However, Georgia requires a majority; if no majority is reached by a candidate, the two top vote-getters must face one another in a runoff. On August 5, 2008 Jones lost the run-off election
to Jim Martin
by a margin of 20 points. Jones unexpectedly lost to Martin in his home base of Dekalb County.
Jones had lost support within the black community before the runoff election, and only captured 2/3 of the black vote in the head to head match up against Martin. The black turnout was also substantially lower than the initial primary election, further hurting Vernon Jones' chances in the runoff.
Runoff results (with 98% reporting):
Controversies=
In December 2004, an unnamed woman accused Jones of rape. The victim maintained her story, but she later dropped the charges.
In 2004, Commissioner Elaine Boyer filed a police report alleging Jones pushed her into a wall after a contentious meeting. The police report came soon after a Dekalb constituent claimed Jones had harassed and intimidated her.
In the 2008 Creative Loafing
article "Vernon goes to church," Jones possible illegal involvement with Bishop Earl Paulk of Decatur, Georgia was detailed. The article described a sexual encounter arranged by Paulk that involved Jones and one of Paulk's former mistresses. The encounter was later brought up in a court case in which Jones refused to answer questions regarding the incident under oath. Jones later bailed the fallen bishop out of a financial crisis by donating county funds through purchasing property from the church.
In 2010, a jury awarded three white former DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Department managers more than $180,000 in a reverse discrimination lawsuit against the county and former Chief Executive Jones. The three claimed they were victims of a campaign to replace white managerial employees with black ones. A fourth employee who is African American says he suffered mistreatment after he refused to "dig up dirt" on his white coworkers. Jones denied he had discriminated against white employees.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
who served as chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Dekalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
, from 2001 until 2009.
Early life and business career
Born in Laurel Hill, North CarolinaLaurel Hill, Lincoln County, North Carolina
Laurel Hill is an unincorporated community in northwestern Lincoln County, North Carolina, north of Toluca. It is located north of Toluca, at the intersection of North Carolina Highways 10, and 18....
to a WWII veteran, Jones grew up on a farm in rural North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
before attending North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
in Durham, NC, earning a B.A. in business administration in 1983.Jones is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Jones later graduated from Harvard's two-week John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
's Executive Program.
Jones began his career in the telecommunications industry, first working with WorldCom and later BellSouth Corporation. At BellSouth, he was part of a team that established wireless communications in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
Jones served on the DeKalb Board of Health, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the DeKalb Library Board, the DeKalb Pension Board, and the Board of Visitors for Emory University and North Carolina Central University.
Political career
Jones sought election to the Georgia House of RepresentativesGeorgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
in 1992. He served from 1993 to 2001, during which time he served on the Appropriations and Insurance Committees, the Health and Ecology Committee, the Banking Committee, and a special Judiciary Committee. He was elected as chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Dekalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
in 2000, winning 64% of the vote, and was re-elected in 2004 with 54% of the vote. Jones is the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to serve as CEO of the county, and the youngest ever elected in the county. Under Jones, DeKalb County became one of just 37 counties nationwide to hold a dual AAA bond credit rating
Bond credit rating
In investment, the bond credit rating assesses the credit worthiness of a corporation's or government debt issues. It is analogous to credit ratings for individuals.-Table:...
from both Moody's and Standard and Poor's. DeKalb County established the first local Homeland Security Office in 2001, and, under Jones, passed laws creating a new senior center, increasing funding for road, library, and park improvements while maintaining a balanced budget. Jones has been criticized for vetoing pay raises for police officers, illegally using campaign funds to promote the 2005 bond referendum, and was accused of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. No charges have ever been filed against Jones for the alleged rape or for misusing campaign finances, and Jones has claimed his innocence throughout both controversies.
In 2010, Jones launched a campaign for the U.S. Congress, representing GA Fourth Congressional District.
United States Senate campaign
On March 23, 2007 Jones announced he was running for the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss
Saxby Chambliss
Clarence Saxby Chambliss, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative ....
. His campaign saw immediate controversies. In campaign literature, Jones sent out a flier in which he appeared in a picture next to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
with the words "Yes We Can." However, Obama himself stated he not only never posed with Jones (the picture had been digitally altered), he did not endorse Jones or any other candidate for the Democratic nomination for Senate. In response, Jones blamed his "liberal opponents backed by the liberal media" for trying to ruin his campaign.
Jones also received criticism for the appearance of the tagline "VOTE Vernon Jones for GA Senate" on tickets, produced using county funds, for the Dekalb County Blues and Jazz Festival. The company who printed the tickets, supporters of Jones' campaign, have taken responsibility for the incident; the company said it was unaware campaign finance laws made such an action illegal.
Another source of criticism leveled against Jones, mostly by chief rival Jim Martin, attacked his more conservative national record. On his campaign website, Jones acknowledged being a conservative Democrat, and in an interview, told the press he voted for George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Additionally, Jones donated more than $2,464 in two separate donations to the Georgia Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in 2001.
On July 15, 2008, Jones won a plurality of votes in the Democratic primary. However, Georgia requires a majority; if no majority is reached by a candidate, the two top vote-getters must face one another in a runoff. On August 5, 2008 Jones lost the run-off election
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
to Jim Martin
Jim Martin (Georgia politician)
James Francis "Jim" Martin is an American politician and former member of the Georgia General Assembly. He is a Democrat. Martin opposed incumbent U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss in the 2008 election...
by a margin of 20 points. Jones unexpectedly lost to Martin in his home base of Dekalb County.
Jones had lost support within the black community before the runoff election, and only captured 2/3 of the black vote in the head to head match up against Martin. The black turnout was also substantially lower than the initial primary election, further hurting Vernon Jones' chances in the runoff.
Runoff results (with 98% reporting):
Issues
Vernon Jones considers himself to be a conservative Democrat supporting limited government, fiscal responsibility, and a strong, active military. Jones has been critical of the National Democratic Party for being too liberal, and says he is more in touch with most Georgians than either major party. Ontheissues.org considers Jones a "Moderate Libertarian Conservative."Abortion
Jones is pro choice and supports spending federal money on embryonic stem cell research, and supports new lines of stem cells from new embryos.Budget and Economy
Jones supports federal assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure, saying "it's ironic that the government bailed out Bear Sterns in Wall Street while there are millions of American families losing their homes every day." Furthermore, Jones supports balancing the budgets by cutting spending instead of raising taxes.Civil Rights
Jones supports a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.Death Penalty
Jones supports the death penalty for federal crimes and supports a states right to execute its prisoners.Drug Enforcement
Jones supports mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of selling illegal drugs.Education
Jones supports federal funding for pre-K programs as well as federal testing of students (No Child Left Behind). Jones also advocates school vouchers to give parents more choices of which schools to send their children.Energy and Oil
Jones supports allowing drilling in federally protected areas, including the Outer Continental Shelf. Jones also supports federal funding for alternative energy sources, and "cap and trade" laws. Without limiting emissions, Jones believes global warming will be devastation to America and the rest of the world.Environment
Jones wants to strengthen the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act while increasing minimum fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel engines. Jones supports creating new nuclear reactors to decrease America's dependence on foreign oil.Government Reform
Jones supports removing all limits on donations to candidates and political parties. Jones also supports making Election Day a national holiday and prohibiting ads containing candidates' name paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.Gun Control
Jones favors eliminating as many regulations on gun ownership as feasible while allowing concealed weapons permits for law abiding citizens.Homeland Security
Jones supports military tribunal for terrorists while opposing domestic wiretapping and a national I.D. card. Jones supports investing in a missile shield defense system and supports preemptive strikes against countries unwilling to help in the global war on terror.Social Security
Jones supports completely revamping Social Security to preempt its bankruptcy so long as it doesn't lower the standard of care for seniors.Tax Reform
Jones favors repealing the estate tax and favors a constitutional amendment requiring the federal budget being balanced.Controversies=
In December 2004, an unnamed woman accused Jones of rape. The victim maintained her story, but she later dropped the charges.
In 2004, Commissioner Elaine Boyer filed a police report alleging Jones pushed her into a wall after a contentious meeting. The police report came soon after a Dekalb constituent claimed Jones had harassed and intimidated her.
In the 2008 Creative Loafing
Creative Loafing
CL Inc. is the Tampa, Florida-based publisher of three city newsweeklies and their associated websites. Each of the papers focuses on local news, politics, arts and entertainment, and restaurants...
article "Vernon goes to church," Jones possible illegal involvement with Bishop Earl Paulk of Decatur, Georgia was detailed. The article described a sexual encounter arranged by Paulk that involved Jones and one of Paulk's former mistresses. The encounter was later brought up in a court case in which Jones refused to answer questions regarding the incident under oath. Jones later bailed the fallen bishop out of a financial crisis by donating county funds through purchasing property from the church.
In 2010, a jury awarded three white former DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Department managers more than $180,000 in a reverse discrimination lawsuit against the county and former Chief Executive Jones. The three claimed they were victims of a campaign to replace white managerial employees with black ones. A fourth employee who is African American says he suffered mistreatment after he refused to "dig up dirt" on his white coworkers. Jones denied he had discriminated against white employees.