At his February town meeting, Julian E. Jones Jr. looked comfortable in his role as Baltimore County Councilman for District 4, which covers Woodlawn, Owings Mills and Randallstown. A capacity-crowd of more than 100 community presidents, activists and other constituents packed a conference room at the Randallstown Community Center to get an explanation from guest speakers on the county’s snow removal policy, find out about the future of Owings Mills Mall, and get updates on projects such as the Windsor Mill Road sidewalk construction. He scanned the room to recognize local leaders and when it was time for the first agenda item, he encouraged attendees to ask questions but not “tell a story or have a debate.”
At his seventh town meeting since taking office in December 2014, it was typical Jones, taking charge while keeping it light, and confidently preparing to take questions as part of his “stump the chump” session. When the meeting ended two hours later, a half dozen attendees lined up to say hello, ask a question and chat.
He is just the second representative of District 4, territory carved out of the northwest to give the predominately African-American territory a better opportunity for representation on the council. After losing to incumbent Kenneth Oliver in 2010 by less than 100 votes in a six-way race, Jones returned in 2014 to defeat the three-term councilman in a hard-fought election by more than 1,700 votes.
“I took this job to be able to do some good, to make [the community] a place we can be proud of,” Jones says, who handles constituent concerns from offices in Randallstown and Towson. “It means a lot that [the constituents] trust me. I’m going to do my best for them.” Admittedly, he finds it gratifying that one phone call can get things moving or resolve an issue. On the flip side, oftentimes he must manage a resident’s expectations on what he can accomplish.
Though he says he generally tries to get buy-in, everyone is not always in support of his position. Residents attended a public hearing upset that a controversial planned “workforce housing” apartment complex was being built on the prospering Red Run Boulevard in Owings Mills.
Residents also took issue with Jones’ first bill, 56-14. The bill offered developers additional options for the types of community benefits they can provide when constructing a planned unit development. Instead of just offering a capital improvement to their property, Jones day, that benefits “could be computers for schools or $5,000 to a PTA that is struggling to make money selling candy.”
The bill passed unanimously. But County Executive Kevin Kamenetz vetoed it and council members declined to override the veto—a major disappointment for Jones.
Since then, his focus has turned to Owings Mills Mall. He’s been reviewing proposals with developers to transform the property, and working to expedite the construction process for Metro Centre for activities such as parking, signage and setbacks.
With developers having contributed generously to his campaign, Jones acknowledges that he must balance the needs of developers’ business interests with the community’s needs. But in the end, he says, “My constituents come first. I will always side with the community. They elected me.”
His goal, Jones says, it to make the area “the most sought after community in the region. People would come here because of the best schools, the best amenities and the best quality of life they could find. How do we get there? One step at a time.”
He stays on the move. His legislative assistant, Chrissandra Caldwell, keeps his schedule chock full of fundraisers, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and other government or community events. He rarely misses the opportunity to mark the occasion by posting selfies on his Facebook page or publishing them in his community e-newsletters.
A resident of Woodstock, he is married to Sabrina and has three children. His evening hours are spent reading up on business trends within the food industry so he could provide a global perspective to constituents upset about the January closing of Food Lion closed in Randallstown. During the day, he works as a division chief with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
His start in the fire service was by chance. While a student at University of Maryland Baltimore County pursuing a bachelor’s degree in information management systems, he did security work at the Baltimore Zoo. He followed his calling after he responded to a radio advertisement for a position in the fire service earning under $19,000 in 1985. Since then, he has steadily climbing the ranks. The 30 years there has prepared him well.
“In the fire service you get used to anything happening and being prepared.” It could be an issue in the neighborhood, someone making a $1 million transaction. You have to treat them with the same intensity.”
Looking back on his performance the 16 months he’s been in office, Jones says he believes he’s done well. He rolled out a summer jobs program, where 10 high school and college interns have provided service at senior centers, helped cleaned neighborhoods and performed administrative tasks.
He also launched Operation Spring Cleaning, patrolling the area and contacting businesses, such as Wal-Mart, BGE and Mass Transit Administration, to clean up their properties when he sees trash or plastic bags caught on fences and trees. He will also call out residents for code violations when he sees a sofa or rolled up carpet on the curb that hasn’t been picked up. “Really?”
“I don’t want our community to be run down and crime ridden. I want the best for the community.”
He is most passionate about education. Giving young people a quality education and keeping them busy will break a cycle of crime, unemployment and poor schooling, Jones believes. “It’s very important to me to give our kids have something to do. We must give them a great education, employment opportunities and then recreation.”
To that end, he pledged that the basketball courts in the area will have their missing rims installed by the end of the school year. “I think it’s insulting to spend $30 million on a school [referring to the new Lyons Mills Elementary] and not have basketball rims up because they think our kids can’t behave.”
Another priority is to find funding for council members to pursue business development opportunities, such as those at the retail conference held every year in Las Vegas. “How can I attract people to Randallstown and Owings Mills if I have zero budget to do it?”
What’s next? Jones plans to organize a college fair where students can get strategies and tips on how to complete a college application, to get grants and scholarships, and a SAT prep course. Operation Spring Cleaning will be ongoing.
“I work extremely hard for the constituents. I don’t take the tasks they have entrusted in me lightly.”