Dwight Clinton Jones

Dwight Clinton Jones (born February 3, 1948) is an American politician and pastor who served as the 79th Mayor of Richmond, Virginia. Jones took office on January 1, 2009, was inaugurated for his second term on January 12, 2013, and was succeeded by Levar Stoney on December 31, 2016.[1] Jones is a member of the Democratic Party, and was elected chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia on March 15, 2014.[2]

Dwight Clinton Jones
79th Mayor of Richmond
In office
January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2016
Preceded byDouglas Wilder
Succeeded byLevar Stoney
Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia
In office
March 15, 2014 – June 27, 2015
Preceded byCharniele Herring
Succeeded bySusan Swecker
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 70th district
In office
January 12, 1994 – January 1, 2009
Preceded byLawrence D. Wilder, Jr.
Succeeded byDelores McQuinn
Personal details
Born
Dwight Clinton Jones

(1948-02-03) February 3, 1948
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children3
ResidenceRichmond, Virginia
Alma materVirginia Union University
United Theological Seminary
ProfessionMinister

Background and personal life

Jones was born in Philadelphia and moved to Richmond, Virginia after attending Virginia Union University, which awarded him Master of Divinity degree (1973), and earlier a Bachelor of Science degree (1970). He earned his Doctorate from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is married and has three children, Dwight, Derik, and Nichole.[3]

Career

A Baptist, Jones is senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of South Richmond.

Political career

Jones served as a member of the Richmond City School Board in 1979, and as its chairman from 1982-1985. In 1993, Jones was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates (a part time position), and represented the 70th District (which includes Richmond) from 1994 until declining to seek re-election in 2008.[4][5]

Mayor of Richmond

Jones took office as Richmond's 79th mayor on January 1, 2009.[6] During his tenure, four new schools were built: Broad Rock Elementary, Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary, Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School,[7][8] and Huguenot High School which is the first high school built in the City of Richmond in 40 years.[9][10]

Other new public works included a new fire station (Fire Station 17) completed in 2012, which was the first built by the City of Richmond in 18 years. It replaced a fire station built in 1917, which was designed for horse-drawn equipment.[11][12] A new Richmond City Jail was also built, and opened in July 2014 under capacity.[13] The replaced jail (built in the 1960s), had multiple overcrowding, maintenance and safety issues.[14]

During his last year in office, several agencies investigated the relationship between Jones' church (building a new structure in Chesterfield County) and the Richmond Department of Public Works and other agencies, particularly as about 10% of city employees were members of his congregation,[15] but after the election, Richmond's Commonwealth's Attorney, Mike Herring, issued a report detailing laxities but declining to prosecute.[16] Immediately before leaving office, Jones authorized significant severance packages for four high-level appointees.[17]

Notes
  1. Oliver, Ned. "Levar Stoney, Richmond's youngest elected mayor, took office Sunday: Here's how he got there". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  2. "Virginia Democrats elect Jones as new chairman". Richmond Times Dispatch. March 15, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  3. "Dwight Jones Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  4. "Richmond Sunlight » Del. Dwight Jones (D-Richmond)". www.richmondsunlight.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  5. "Virginia House of Delegates 2008; Delegate Dwight Clinton Jones". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  6. "New Richmond mayor to take oath today". Richmond Times-Dispatch. December 31, 2008. Archived from the original on January 1, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  7. "Richmond opens two new schools". Richmond Times-Dispatch. January 3, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  8. "New Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School opens". Richmond Times-Dispatch. January 6, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  9. "Construction kick-off ceremony for new Huguenot High School". WWBT NBC 12. January 26, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  10. "New Huguenot High School Opens its Doors". WRIC ABC 8. January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  11. "New Richmond fire station proposed for part of Canoe Run Park". Richmond Times-Dispatch. February 11, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  12. "Richmond to open new fire station". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  13. "New Richmond jail opens with cells to spare". Richmond Times-Dispatch. July 29, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  14. "New Richmond jail could open in mid-June". Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 12, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  15. Evans, K. Burnell. "Jones investigation extends beyond Richmond City Hall". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  16. Kruszewski, Jackie. "After Investigation, Mayor Dwight Jones Gets a Lecture but No Charges". Style Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  17. Oliver, Ned. "As he left office, former Richmond Mayor Jones authorized $166K in severance for appointees". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 5, 2019.

References
Political offices
Preceded by
Doug Wilder		 Mayor of Richmond
2009–present		 Succeeded by
Levar Stoney
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