WHO IS ROBERT “BOBBY” JONES OF PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY?

AN ICONOCLASTIC PROFILE

As a new feature of the Commonwealth Iconoclast, I am pleased to introduce “An Iconoclastic Profile”… intended to examine more closely persons of interest in the Commonwealth of Virginia. There is only one basic criterion for becoming the subject of An Iconoclastic Profile: the subject must be a “public personality” in some capacity. There are probably many deserving candidates worthy of this special attention, but Robert “Bobby” Jones of Prince Edward County gets the honor this month.

Who is Robert “Bobby” Jones of Prince Edward County? Obviously, the Iconoclast cannot tell the complete story of this multi-faceted man. However, we can provide a few interesting insights regarding his public life. It is our hope that through these insights, citizens may become better informed and play a more active role in their respective communities.

So, who is Robert “Bobby” Jones and why is he a person of interest to the citizens of Prince Edward County or anyone else who is interested in local government?

Robert “Bobby” Jones was featured in a 2003 article in The Farmville Herald when he announced his plans to run for re-election to represent the Lockett District of the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors. According to the Herald report, Robert “Bobby” Jones was a farmer in the Lockett District with ancestral roots in the area going back three centuries.

For those not familiar with the geography, Prince Edward County is a rural county about 70 miles west of Richmond. The Town of Farmville is the largest community in Prince Edward County and home of Longwood University. Farmville is a thriving and progressive community experiencing considerable change and growth.

The Lockett District is…well… out in the boonies… farm country…and home to Robert “Bobby’ Jones and perhaps his ancestors going back three hundred years.

Official public records indicate that Robert “Bobby” Jones was successful in his 2003 re-election bid against political neophyte Deborah Hicks-Shealey with a final official vote of 339 to 301.

There were questions concerning voting irregularities in the Jones / Hicks-Shealey race. However, those questions were apparently deemed insufficient to change the final vote tally. So, Robert “Bobby” Jones, on a margin of 38 votes, won another four year term to the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors. Not exactly a mandate, but good enough.

As best we can figure, Robert “Bobby” Jones got his start in politics with an appointment to the Prince Edward County Planning Commission back in the 1980s. At some point in time, Mr. Jones ran for and was elected to the Board of Supervisors from the Lockett District. As Supervisor, Mr. Jones apparently kept his appointed position to the County Planning Commission. In this influential dual capacity as both Supervisor and Planning Commissioner, Robert “Bobby” Jones’ has played an important role in shaping the County’s future through the many decisions involving planning, zoning and development that he has taken part in over the years.

Some background might be helpful here.

Over the past several years, Prince Edward County has experienced a series of land-use and zoning controversies. Those controversies came to a full boil in October of 2005, when citizens complained that the County Planning Commission had become stagnant and dysfunctional. Worst of all, there were complaints that the Planning Commission did not fairly represent certain portions of the County.

Given that something had to be done, Board of Supervisors Chairman William “Buckie” Fore named Supervisor Jones to chair a new committee to study the problems with the Planning Commission – the same Planning Commission that Supervisor Jones served on for many years, and the same Planning Commission that citizens were complaining about.

Given this new assignment, Supervisor Robert “Bobby” Jones led his committee to develop a new County policy regarding the composition of the Planning Commission. However, instead of addressing the citizen complaints, the plan took an unexpected turn to officially exclude over six thousand citizens of Prince Edward County from eligibility to serve on the Planning Commission.

Committee records indicate that Supervisor Jones held the view that the County Planning Commission had “no direct effect on the residents of the town” and that the question of representation “was not an important concern.” With only one committee member representing the aggrieved citizens, the committee was effectively a “stacked deck” to protect the status quo and to quash any attempt to advance meaningful reform measures.

As committee Chairman, Supervisor Robert “Bobby” Jones authored the official committee report dated December 12, 2005, and forwarded that report for final action to the Board of Supervisors the next day on December 13, 2005. On Supervisor Jones’ motion, the new policy was adopted by a split vote of 5 in favor and 3 opposed – again not exactly a mandate.

Just prior to making the motion to adopt his new plan, Supervisor Jones stated for the official record:

“We want people that are residents of the area they are making decisions on… Not people who are residents of that area… I don’t want someone living on Main Street telling me how to develop property on my farm.”

Of course we understand Supervisor Jones’ concern about his farm, but in the reference to“…that area…” Supervisor Jones is talking about the entire Town of Farmville…over six thousand people…about one third of the entire County population… and the most active development area in Prince Edward County!

Not surprisingly, community reaction to Supervisor Robert “Bobby” Jones’ new policy has been somewhat less than enthusiastic. Obviously, with a 5 to 3 vote split on the Board of Supervisors, at least three Supervisors questioned the appropriateness of this new policy.

The Farmville Herald, normally quite pro-establishment, published an uncharacteristically critical Op/Ed piece on the plan in its January 4th, 2006 edition. This piece painfully resurrected the old sore subject of “taxation without representation” which royally honked off a bunch of folks up in Boston in 1765 and contributed to the late unpleasantness between the Colonies and Great Britain.

Making matters worse, the Farmville Town Council passed a formal resolution on January 11, 2006 politely condemning the new County policy and urging the Board of Supervisors to instead “appoint representatives to serve on the County Planning Commission from each of the eight (8) voting districts, of which three (3) include the Town of Farmville…”

One normally diplomatic Town official characterized the County’s new policy as “clearly out to lunch.”

Regular citizens, in numerous emails to the Iconoclast, have not been nearly as charitable as The Farmville Herald or the Farmville Town Council, raising questions concerning the ethics of certain County officials and characterizing the County’s new policy as a brazen abuse of official power to protect a corrosive system favoritism and deal making in the Courthouse.

In spite of the critics, Supervisor Robert “Bobby” Jones remains resolute and unapologetic defending the new plan proclaiming that “…In my area, people have supported exactly what we did”… maybe the same 38 people who put him over the top in 2003?

Perhaps Supervisor Jones has a point.

Perhaps it is Supervisor Jones’ three hundred years of ancestral roots in Prince Edward County that give him a special vision and legitimacy to recognize the dangers of allowing six thousand people in Farmville, many of whom are probably outsiders or newcomers, to have a say in the future of Prince Edward County. One can only imagine what might happen if these people of questionable origins were to be allowed to have a say in the County’s future.

Right....

But seriously, maybe, just maybe, Supervisor Robert “Bobby” Jones’ three hundred years of ancestral roots in the area has muddled his ability to recognize the fundamental injustice and hypocrisy of this new policy.

Why would Supervisor Robert “Bobby” Jones think that he somehow has any more right to decide the future of Prince Edward County than any other taxpayer, including those six thousand taxpayers who live in Farmville?

The role of the Planning Commission in helping to shape the future of Prince Edward County is purely advisory but far broader than Supervisor Jones’ apparently limited understanding would suggest. The Planning Commission’s responsibilities are not merely limited to approving zoning deals.

If anything, the idea of a local Planning Commission is to get citizens involved in helping to make wise decisions involving the community’s future… not to keep citizens silenced and at bay. Considering the importance of Farmville and its environs in the future of Prince Edward County, the idea of officially disqualifying one third of the County’s population from eligibility to serve on the County Planning Commission is sheer folly and reeking of questionable ulterior motives.

The Iconoclast wonders if Supervisor Jones’ ancestors would approve of his leadership and judgment in this matter. We know that most living people don’t!

Note: Supervisor Robert “Bobby” Jones position as Supervisor from the Lockett District of Prince Edward is up for re-election November 6, 2007. Persons from the Lockett District of Prince Edward County seeking further information concerning election candidacy requirements may contact the Virginia State Board of Elections. The Iconoclast encourages healthy competition and the accountability of all public officials. The Iconoclast also seeks honest and fair commentary on this piece from interested parties from Prince Edward County, including Robert “Bobby” Jones.