Candidate Profile: Keona Jones For Atlanta City Council

ATLANTA — Fifty-six City Council candidates are running for 16 seats in Atlanta's Nov. 2 municipal election.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Keona Jones is running for Atlanta City Council District 3.

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Family

Derrick Green, my husband, 48, and we have three children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

BA in education from Clark Atlanta, Masters in Education from Central Michigan

Occupation

I work for the Historic Hills Community Development Corporation

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

https://votekeona.com/

Why are you seeking elective office?

To be a voice and an advocate for the marginalized and unheard in our community.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Safety: First, we will have to strengthen the community’s vigilance and de-escalation
tactics. The city is doing a great job; nevertheless, there is room for improvement. APD (Atlanta Police Department) introduced (PAD) in 2017 and since then, they have increased their footprint to provide support to our citizens of Atlanta. (PAD) operates during the hours of 7am-7pm, and they receive calls via 311, the city funds $1.5 million of their $4.5 million budget. When elected, I would work with my colleagues to provide additional funding to the budget to expand the use of the program. The city has Neighborhood Watch Groups, Coffee with a Cop, The Citizens Police Academy and the Police Athletic League. These are programs designed to strengthen the community. As councilwoman, I will continue to work with the APD Chief and Zone Commander to make certain that the community remains engaged, informed and trained. We as citizens need to do a better job and getting to know our police and they should do the same. As councilwoman, I would host two additional events annually in addition to National Night Out to fellowship with our Officers. It would be my duty to engage the community, work with Community Leaders, Stakeholders, Faith leaders, and Grassroot organizations in making sure that our officers are trained and supported properly and professionally.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have a history of serving the people of District 3. As a resident of her Neighborhood Association, Vice-Chair and Chair of Neighborhood Planning Unit - J, Vice-President of the North West Business Association (NWBA), Secretary of the Northwest Atlanta Pastors Community Alliance (NAP-CLA), and Education Committee Chair of the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board (APAB), Board Member of the Police Athletic League (PAL), Secretary of Atlanta Planning Advisory Board (APAB), Committee on Council and member of the Westside Park Advisory Committee. My advocacy and engagement in issues that concern all the people of my district shows that I am the most equipped candidate to represent them.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

What do you identify as the root causes of the recent and ongoing increase in violent crime, and how would you address the issue?

This is how I would address crime (it's the same as my answer to the previous question)
First, we will have to strengthen the community’s vigilance and de-escalation
tactics. The city is doing a great job; nevertheless, there is room for improvement. APD (Atlanta Police Department) introduced (PAD) in 2017 and since then, they have increased their footprint to provide support to our citizens of Atlanta. (PAD) operates during the hours of 7am-7pm, and they receive calls via 311, the city funds $1.5 million of their $4.5 million budget. When elected, I would work with my colleagues to provide additional funding to the budget to expand the use of the program. The city has Neighborhood Watch Groups, Coffee with a Cop, The Citizens Police Academy and the Police Athletic League. These are programs designed to strengthen the community. As councilwoman, I will continue to work with the APD Chief and Zone Commander to make certain that the community remains engaged, informed and trained. We as citizens need to do a better job and getting to know our police and they should do the same. As councilwoman, I would host two additional events annually in addition to National Night Out to fellowship with our Officers. It would be my duty to engage the community, work with Community Leaders, Stakeholders, Faith leaders, and Grassroot organizations in making sure that our officers are trained and supported properly and professionally.

Do you support or oppose the creation of Buckhead City? Why or why not?

I oppose the creation of Buckhead City. The issues that they are bringing up are issues that all neighborhoods in Atlanta face. Crime in District 3 - English Avenue, Vine City, Dixie Hills, Bankhead, Washington Park, etc. - is bad too and has not been adequately addressed. The loss of revenue from Buckhead will immensely hurt the city financially. It will lead to the city not being able to adequately fund our police force, which will lead to an increase in crime. Crime that will once again find its way to Buckhead. We should work together to make our city stronger and safer for all residents.

How would your administration react to the creation of Buckhead City and the resulting loss of a major residential, commercial and cultural center and significant source of tax revenue? How would you respond to residents and businesses in that community if cityhood were rejected?

I would be saddened if the city of Buckhead is created. The citizens of Atlanta and District 3 will still have to push forward to take care of our neighbors and residents. I will still fight for economic development projects to our district to bring tax revenue to our community. If the cityhood movement is rejected, then I will work with the councilperson that represents the Buckhead community, and the rest of the council and the mayor, to solve the problems that not only plague Buckhead but the rest of Atlanta too.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Transportation/Mobility: I would focus on prioritizing transportation initiatives, such as The
Transformation Alliance (TOD), MARTA bus & train improvements, streetcar expansion, and light rail, which remove the largest number of cars driving in daily traffic. I would also work to fund missing sidewalks, bike lanes and crossing lights in high traffic areas. Finally, I could revisit Atlanta’s 2015 infrastructure initiative to repair the backlog of needed repairs to our roads, bridges, sidewalks and traffic signals.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Under my leadership as 2020 NPU-J Chair, almost 600 Affordable Housing Units were added to the district:
True Light Haven- 295 Penelope Drive Atlanta, GA 30314 (124 Units).
Grove Park Gardens- 1576 Donald Lee Hollowell, GA 30318 (110 Units).
Villas of Hope- 385 Holly Street Atlanta, GA 30318 (130 Units).
Intrada Westside Project-2174 Donald Lee Hollowell Atlanta, GA 30318 (143 Units).
AV-Hollowell Senior Housing- 2481 Donald Lee Hollowell Atlanta, GA 30318 (108 Units).
The VEO (Veterans Empowerment Organization) expanded-approved a new 2500 square foot multi-purpose building for our veterans to thrive and perform in the community.
NPU-J participation increased through the launch of our website, yard signs, & retractable sign.
NPU-J Participation increased over 100%.
NPU-J moved to successful online meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These accomplishments show that I can lead and bring positive changes to the District.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

There is nothing wrong with making mistakes just don't keep making the same ones. - my Dad.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?