Dwight Clinton Jones became the Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

 on January 1, 2009. A member of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party

The following is a list of political parties whose names could be translated to Democratic Party or the Democrat.-Active parties:-Former parties:...

, he is also a Baptist

Baptist

Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

 minister. Jones was born in Philadelphia and moved to Richmond after attending Virginia Union University

Virginia Union University

Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...

. He is currently senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of South Richmond.

Jones' inauguration was held on January 10, 2009. Prior to that, he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia House of Delegates

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...

, representing the 70th District 1994–2008.

Jones has been fundraising for a possible reelection campaign. As of November 2011, his two primary sources of campaign contributions have been from Altria Group Inc and Dominion Resources Inc. Donations from these corporations and associated employees and executives account for about 45% of total campaign contributions.

Controversy Over Unequal Treatment of Tea Party & Occupy Richmond

Jones has been involved in a series of incidents related to the City's unequal treatment of Occupy Richmond and the Richmond Tea Party. While the Tea Party was required to obtain permits and licenses and pay for all services provided during rallies in the city's Kanawha Park, the city decided to allow Occupy Richmond to maintain a continuous unpermitted and illegal encampment in Kanawha Park and to provide at city expense portable toilets, trash removal and other services to Occupy Richmond. These services have cost taxpayers more than $17,000. Due to the biased treatment, the Richmond Tea Party submitted an invoice for reimbursement of the permitting and service fees the Tea Party was required to pay. Shortly after submitting the invoice, the Tea Party received an audit notice. Partly based upon Mayor Jones' comments in support of Occupy Richmond, The Tea Party claims the audit is in retaliation for publicizing bias and is considering a lawsuit.

External links

• First Baptist Church of South Richmond
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Dwight Clinton Jones (VA) profile
• Follow the Money - Dwight C Jones
  • 2005 2003 2001 1999 campaign contributions
• Washington Post - Dwight C. Jones 2008 profile