Vernon Jones

Vernon Jones (born 31 October 1960) is a American democratic politician from Georgia currently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Dekalb County.

Early life and business career

Born in Laurel Hill, North Carolina 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 later graduated from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government's Executive Program.cite web
title = CEO Biography
publisher = Dekalb County, Georgia Government
url = http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/ceo.htm
accessdate = 2008-08-02]

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.Fact|date=August 2008Jones 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. [ [http://www.vernonjonesforgeorgia.com/vernonjonesbiography.html Meet Vernon] ]

Political career

Jones sought election to the Georgia House of Representatives 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. [ [http://www.vernonjonesforgeorgia.com/vernonjonesbiography.html Meet Vernon] ] Jones has been criticized for vetoing pay raises for police officers, [ [http://godekalb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8023&Itemid=2800 CEO To Veto Public Safety Pay Raises Approved By Divided BOC] ] illegally using campaign funds to promote the 2005 Bond Referendum, [ [http://campaignwindow.com/talkissues/more/index.cfm?Fuseaction=more_17656 DeKalb Ethics Complaint] ] and was accused of rape. [ [http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2008/07/31/senjonesmet.html Vernon Jones] ] 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.

U.S. Senate campaign

On 23 March 2007 Jones announced he was running for the United States Senate against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss. His campaign saw immediate controversies. In campaign literature, Jones sent out a flier in which he appears 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. [cite web
author = Jim Tharpe, Aaron Gould Sheinin
title = Obama: Jones Used Image Without Asking
publisher = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
date = 2008-07-08
url = http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2008/07/08/jones_obama.html
accessdate = 2008-07-30]

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. [cite web
author = Jim Galloway
title = Political Note on Tickets Cause Stir
publisher = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
date = 2008-07-22
url = http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/07/22/polinsider.html
accessdate = 2008-07-30]

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. [cite web
title = More on Vernon Jones and Dale Cardwell
publisher = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
date = 2008-05-01
url = http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/05/01/more_on_vernon_jones_and_dale.html
accessdate = 2008-07-30] Additionally, Jones donated more than $2,464 in two separate donations to the Georgia Republican Party in 2001. [cite web
title = FEC Individual Contributions
publisher = Federal Election Commission
date = 2001-01-12
url = http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?21990182796
accessdate = 2008-07-30] [cite web
title = FEC Individual Contributions
publisher = Federal Election Commission
date = 2001-01-12
url = http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?22990400879
accessdate = 2008-07-30]

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. [cite web
author = Rachel Kapochunas
title = Martin Wins Georgia Dem Runoff, Will Challenge Sen. Chambliss
publisher = Congressional Quarterly
date = 2008-08-05
url = http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002934958
accessdate = 2008-08-05] 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. [ [http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2008/08/10/vernon_jones_dekalb.html What's Next for Vernon Jones?] ]

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = "Vernon Jones"
votes = 199,029
percentage = 40.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = "Jim Martin"
votes = 169,640
percentage = 34.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Dale Cardwell
votes = 79,183
percentage = 16.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Rand Knight
votes = 25,670
percentage = 5.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Josh Lanier
votes = 19,721
percentage = 4.0
change = Election box turnout
votes = 493,243
percentage = 100.0
change =

Runoff results (with 98% reporting) [http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2008_0805/00302.htm] :

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Jim Martin
votes = 188,137
percentage = 59.8
change = +25.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Vernon Jones
votes = 126,425
percentage = 40.2
change = -0.2

Election box turnout
votes = 314,562
percentage =
change =

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." [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Vernon_Jones.htm Vernon Jones on the issues] ]

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. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Vernon_Jones_Abortion.htm Vernon Jones on Abortion] ]

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. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Economic/Vernon_Jones_Budget_+_Economy.htm Vernon Jones on Budget and Economy] ]

Civil Rights

Jones supports a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Vernon_Jones_Civil_Rights.htm Vernon Jones on Civil Rights] ]

Death Penalty

Jones supports a the death penalty for federal crimes and supports a states right to execute its prisoners. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Vernon_Jones_Crime.htm Vernon Jones on Crime] ]

Drug Enforcement

Jones supports mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of selling illegal drugs. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Vernon_Jones_Drugs.htm Vernon Jones on 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. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Vernon_Jones_Education.htm Vernon Jones on Education] ]

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. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Vernon_Jones_Energy_+_Oil.htm Vernon Jones on Energy and Oil] ]

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. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Vernon_Jones_Environment.htm Vernon Jones on the Environment] ]

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. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Economic/Vernon_Jones_Government_Reform.htm Vernon Jones on Government Reform] ]

Gun Control

Jones favors eliminating as many regulations on gun ownership as feasible while allowing concealed weapons permits for law abiding citizens. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Vernon_Jones_Gun_Control.htm Vernon Jones on Gun Control] ]

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. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Vernon_Jones_Homeland_Security.htm Vernon Jones on Homeland Security] ]

ocial Security

Jones supports completely revamping Social Security to preempt its bankruptcy so long as it doesn't lower the standard of care for seniors. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Economic/Vernon_Jones_Social_Security.htm Vernon Jones on Social Security] ]

Tax Reform

Jones favors repealing the estate tax and favors a constitutional amendment requiring the federal budget being balanced. [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/Economic/Vernon_Jones_Tax_Reform.htm Vernon Jones on Tax Reform] ]

=Controversies=In December 2004, an unnamed woman accused Jones of rape, though he claimed the action was consensual. The victim maintained her story, but she later dropped the charges. [cite web
title = More on Vernon Jones and Dale Cardwell
publisher = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
date = 2008-05-01
url = http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/05/01/more_on_vernon_jones_and_dale.html
accessdate = 2008-07-30]

In addition, Jones has had a contentious relationship with members of the Dekalb County Board of Commissioners. 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. [cite web
title = Vernon Jones a Real Liability for Democrats
publisher = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
date = 2008-08-03
url = http://www.ajc.com/search/content/opinion/tucker/stories/2008/08/01/tucked_0803.html
accessdate = 2008-07-30]

Furthermore, Jones has had problems with both the Parks Department and the DeKalb County Police Department. Employees of the Parks Department sued Jones for systematically promoting blacks to management positions over equally qualified whites. [cite web
author = William S. Duffey, Jr.
title = Bryant, et al. v. Jones, et. al.
publisher = United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division
date = 2006-11-21
url = http://www.nkms.com/ealert/Bryant%20v.%20Jones,%2004cv2462.pdf
accessdate = 2008-07-30] Additionally, Jones hired the current police chief, Terrell Bolton, after Bolton was fired from the Dallas Police Department. Bolton faced criticism in Dallas concerning his management of the department and the faking of evidence by officers to make arrests. [cite web
author = Jon Shirek
title = Bolton Named DeKalb Police Chief
publisher = WXIA-TV
date = 2006-12-23
url = http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=89479
accessdate = 2008-07-30]

References