A backward glance at 2009 shows perhaps the biggest news for the year is an issue not yet settled. The election of Gray’s mayor and council ultimately resulted in the first contested election in the his tory of the municipality.

The election took place in November with the run off of one race in December. Perceived discrepancies in the runoff brought its results in question.

January

The new member of the Jones County Board of Commissioners, Tommy Robinson, representing District Three, took his oath of office before the first board meeting of the year with returning incumbents Larry Childs, David Gault, Bert Liston, and Chairman Preston Hawkins.

The commissioners voted to change the term of vice chair man of the board to one year, and Childs was elected to fill that role for 2009. The resolu tion to make the change offi cial was completed and had its first reading at the final meeting in December.

Commissioners will select their vice chairman for 2010 at their first meeting of the year, Jan. 5.

State Rep. Bubber Epps began his first term as a member of the House of Representatives, having defeated Allen Freeman in the November election. Epps represents the southern por tion of the county.

Jones Countian Scott Bernard was a million dollar winner of the Georgia Lottery Jan. 11. He pur­chased his ticket at City Limits Food Mart in Gray and was presented his check by the Georgia Lottery Association.

Jones County had a first hand view of the inaugura tion of President Barack Obama through the eyes of James Newberry, who attended the event and sent a story and pictures of the transition of power to The

News.

Jones County’s courthouse security was updated with the help of the U.S. Marshal Service, which donated an X-ray inspection machine for the county’s use to accom pany a walk-through metal detector donated in 2008.

State Rep. Jim Cole, who represents the majority of Jones County, was named senior floor leader by Gov.

Sonny Perdue.

Ground was broken for the new fire station on Highway 49, and the building is near ing completion with the pav ing of the parking lot one of the last remaining tasks.

February

Earl Colvin and Sherri Rollins were named as the first winners of the Hamilton Williams award presented by Jones County History and Heritage.

Jones County Sheriff’s Department deputies received onboard computers in their patrol cars ironically paid for with drug seizure funds.

March

Jones County experienced a snowstorm that dropped as much as two inches of snow in parts of the county.

Thirty-nine suspects were arrested on RICO charges.

The investigation of the drug trafficking case spanned three months and utilized three law enforcement agencies. Drugs, guns, and $43,000 were seized. More than half of the arrested suspects had Jones County addresses.

Shop@Jones discount cards went on sale March 16. The campaign is an effort by the Jones County/ Gray Chamber of Commerce and Jones County PLAN Economic Development Committee to keep sales tax dollars in Gray and Jones County.

Jones County parents and students crowded into the Board of Education confer ence room to protest the elimination of teachers’ jobs and in particular a position held by an assistant football coach.

Milton Appling resigned from the Jones County Board of Assessors after a state review of the board was received by the county. As he attempted to resign from the Planning and Zoning Commision, he was per suaded instead to become its chairman.

April

The Board of Education held a meeting to listen to the concerns of parents and students about the elimina tion of positions in the school system and then showed the audience a plan that would allow all the teachers involved in the reduction of force to be rehired.

Jones County PLAN held its 12th annual retreat and reformed committees. The focus of the retreat was economic development and the creation of a master plan for the City of Gray. The housing committee, which is one of the group’s smallest, was one of the most active during the year, coordinating financial planning courses at the high school, working with the Georgia Dream Home program to bring two free home buying seminars to the county, and forming a committee to make applica tion to the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing.

Commissioners approved a flat-rate business license for county businesses. The license requirement took effect in June and will be enforced by the Planning and Zoning office. The fee for a business license is $100 plus a $25 administration fee.

Allan Green announced his retirement as Jones County EMA director after 32 years of service.

May

Jones County’s Relay for Life had 40 teams in 2009 and had 2,000 visitors to the JCHS track during the two day event. The effort raised $155,208 as of its conclu sion May 4. Aggregates USA was the largest contributor, presenting the Relay a check for $25,000.

County Administrator Mike Underwood unveiled a plan to the Board of Commissioners for the expansion of the Central Recreation Complex on Highway 18 designed by engineer Tim Ingram and the Jones County Recreation Committee.

School Superintendent Jim LeBrun submitted his resig nation at the May 12 Board of Education meeting. LeBrun had been hired as superin tendent in 2005.

June

In the continuing saga of a proposed third rock quarry in Jones County, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the case may be heard by superior court judges in the Ocmulgee circuit. The com pany wanting to build the quarry, A Mining Group LLC, filed its first petition to oper ate a mine in Bradley in April of 2006. The June ruling was in response to a petition filed June 20, 2008, asking that the five judges in the Ocmulgee circuit recuse themselves from hearing the quarry case because of a salary supple ment paid to them by Jones County.

Assistant school super intendent Dr. Mike Newton was named interim super intendent by the Board of Education at their May 28 meeting. Newton has been employed by the school sys tem for six years and began a one-year contract as interim July 1.

North Madison Street in Gray became one way June 8. The idea of the one-way street was brought to city

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council by merchants on the streetscape who had safety and traffic concerns. The street was used by many as a cut through to avoid the traffic signal.

Gray Station Better Hometown’s annual Daylily Festival enjoyed nice weather for the first time in several years and attracted more than 3,000 people for the display booths, flower exhibits, crafts, entertain ment, and food.

The Gray Police Department issued 14 war rants for suspects involved in a drive-by shooting that took place near the Ninth Grade Academy June 8. No one was injured in the shooting, but bullets were found in the side of a vehicle that happened to drive through the area at the time of the crime. The bullet holes were near the location of two small children who were riding inside the SUV.

Jones Countian Tyler Roberts was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers June 10. The Jones County High senior was a 10th round pick and began his training a few days later in Glendale, Ariz., at the start of rookie league ball.

Don Graham was named as Jones County’s EMA director by the Jones County commissioners June 10.

Graham was the paramedic manager at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, where he had been employed for 22 years. In addition to his paramedic train ing, Graham is a graduate of the Georgia Police and Firefighters Academy. He was selected from a field of 40 applicants who applied for the job.

Michael Lynn Turner was found guilty of raping a friend of his 16-year-old daughter following a trial that lasted four days. The jury deliberated a little over an hour June 28 before finding Turner guilty, and Chief Superior Court Judge William Prior sentenced Turner to 30 years to life.

July

A plan to improve Jones County’s Central Recreation Complex received much needed help from the Georgia Department of Corrections through the assistance of State Rep. Jim Cole. The DOC crew began work July 20 and will be assisting with the grading for ball fields and drainage improvements.

Department of Education reports had good news and bad for Jones County. The system’s two middle and elementary schools met the Adequate Yearly Progress standards, but the school system as a whole did not.

Test scores of subpopula tions at JCHS were the main problem, and discrepancies in attendance records at the Ninth Grade Academy was one of the issues there.

Security Bank of Jones County closed its doors July 24 and opened the next day as a branch of State Bank and Trust Company.

The transition appeared to be smooth, and most of the employees and officers remained at their posts. State Bank is owned by the Banker Capital Group LLC, headed by Chairman and CEO Joe Evans.

August

Doug Redmond was selected as Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce and Jones County Development Authority executive director and officially took his position Aug. 17. Redmond previously served as the regional rep resentative for Region Eight of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

Carmen Copeland, who acted as interim director since the departure of Pam Christopher in October of 2008, remained as director of tourism.

Qualifying for City of Gray elections began Aug.

31 and continued through Sept. 4. The first qualifier was Lehman Wood, who ran in 2005 against incumbent Mayor Jason Briley and Joe Wood, who was mayor pro tem at the time. First day qualifiers also included Russell Thompson and Jeff Parker, both of whom were running for the District Four council seat. Charles Ridley also qualified to run in District One against incum bent David Tufts, who also qualified the first day.

Rick Tipton turned in his paperwork to run for the position of mayor pro tem the second day of qualifying, as did District Three incum bent Terrell Fulford.

Briley announced that he would not be seeking a fourth term as mayor.

at an impasse between commissioners and council men.

The entities have until June 2010 to come to an agreement.

Jones County Lions Club Fair had record attendance the night of Oct. 16, but the weather caused problems for many of the other nights. The fair had to be cancelled altogether Oct. 14 because of a full day of downpouring rain.

The Jasper-Jones forestry was named unit of the year by the Georgia Forestry Commission. The four-man crew is stationed in Jones County with its chief ranger Howell Crutchfield. The unit is tasked with monitoring and assisting with prescribed burns plus fighting non controlled fires that occur in the district.

The Chamber of Commerce hosted a city can didate’s forum Oct. 12 with all opposed candidates and challengers in attendance with the exception of Tufts, who was out of town due to a family illness.

November

Gus Wilson was elected as mayor of Gray in the Nov.

3 election. Lipsey received the most votes for mayor pro tem but not enough to avoid a Dec. 1 runoff against Cogburn. Tufts was re elected to his District One seat and Thompson prevailed in the District Four contest.

The Jones County com munity was among seven finalists for acceptance into the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing and received a site visit by the selection committee.

Members of the Jones County Housing Committee, led by Donald Black, gave the visi tors a presentation and tour of the community and was notified later of its selection.

Jones County honored its veterans at its annual appreciation day held Nov.

7. The celebration was the county’s ninth and featured a video of interviews with local WWII veterans as its keynote speakers.

Griswoldville Park, Jones County’s premiere indus trial park, had its official groundbreaking Nov. 12.

The event was attended by local and state officials, and later the same evening, the site was also the loca tion of the monthly meeting of the Georgia Regional Commission. The event was an opportunity to showcase the park as well as the Jones County community. The park was purchased in 2006, and the county received a $500,000 OneGeorgia grant to create the entrance road and signage.

The land for the park was chosen by the Development Authority of Jones County, and the goal of the commer cial development of the park is to take the tax burden off property owners. The 972 acre park is the largest unde veloped industrial property in Middle Georgia.

Following a weeklong trial, a Jones County jury found Debra Hines guilty of identity theft, and she was sentenced to 45 years with 20 years to serve in prison. Hines com mitted crimes under several different names and left her victims in dire financial straits while attempting to reclaim their identities. The jury heard from a number of Hines’ victims with charges dating back as far as the 1980s.

December

Lipsey was declared the winner of the Dec. 1 runoff for mayor pro tem with a margin of five votes. The challenger immediately asked for a recount of the votes and later found out that five votes remained uncounted between the two optical scan machines. Four other ballots were rejected during the Early Voting period due to voter identity issues.

Cogburn filed a petition in Jones County Superior Court officially contesting the results of the runoff elec tion and a hearing was held Dec. 28. Chief Superior Court Judge H. Gibbs Flanders heard the case and will be sending his decision in writ ing to the attorneys.

Gray’s ninth annual Christmas parade sponsored by the Gray Jaycees was canceled because of rain that continued throughout the day Dec. 8 and into the night. The cancelation was a first for the parade. No rain date was scheduled.

Four persons of the year and a business were recog nized at the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce held at Healy Point Country Club. Honorees were Donald Black, Citizen of the Year; Francis Adams, Volunteer of the Year; Lehman Wood, Chamber Ambassador of the Year; Ethan Bloodworth, Student of the Year; and Aggregates USA, Business of the Year. The outgoing board of directors’ chairman, Hoyt Brown, passed the gavel to incoming chair, Jonathan Pitts.