FYI -- Vernon Jones was CEO of my county (DeKalb)
Jones left office as DeKalb County CEO under a cloud. He subsequently lost kamikaze campaigns for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and DeKalb sheriff — a job for which he was utterly unqualified. But he maintained name recognition and has money, and that scares people who understand that this is usually all it takes to win a local election.
Also, he is very tall. Which is nice.
Jones represents a district that voted about four-to-one for Clinton in 2016. Endorsing Donald Trump looks politically suicidal. But I’ve written Jones’ political obituary before and I’ll not make that mistake again; political reality doesn’t always work right in the dumb timeline.
Still, I think it’s important to say that Jones — like Donald Trump — is a hell of our own making. And like Trump, Vernon Jones generally does what is best for Vernon Jones.
Jones was the chief provocateur against ethics reform legislation last year, befitting a career of ethics questions dogging him. DeKalb’s ethics problems are legendary, but elected leaders often resist oversight. The supposed fix that came out of negotiations with Jones and his faction was more than flawed: in a stunning turn, voters rejected the proposed ethics board reform in a referendum, three to two.
Women candidates in 2018 started with an extra 10 to 15-point electoral advantage, courtesy of the #MeToo movement. When Rhonda Taylor, a Conyers businesswoman with a long record of Democratic Party activism, qualified to run against him, I think it became clear that his time was up.
On top of everything else, Jones has been accused of rape in the past, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Associated Press. Jones called it a “consensual” encounter and no charges were filed according to the AJC.
https://decaturish.com/2020/04/george-on-georgia-the-miseducation-of-vernon-jones/
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