Anthony Jones – District 6 Dougherty Commission: Incumbent vows to ‘listen, learn, lead’

Editor’s Note: This is the 10th article in a series highlighting candidates running for local offices in Albany and Dougherty County. The candidates will be on the ballot for the May 19 primary elections.

ALBANY – Anthony Jones’ approach to county government is a simple one, based on the way he’s lived his life. But it’s an approach that’s served Jones well in his 12 years as part of the Dougherty County Commission.

“It doesn’t take a lot of effort to do what’s right,” Jones said.

Seeking a fourth term on the commission, Jones is being challenged for his District 6 seat by Willie Martin, who served 12 years as mayor and city councilman in Cuthbert.

“Being on the commission is not a job, it’s being a servant,” said Jones, a retired educator who worked with the University of Georgia Extension office as 4H Youth Development Coordinator for more than two decades before taking over as County Extension Coordinator over the past four-plus years of his career. “And I am proud that I have been a servant of the people.”

Jones has served on the County Commission through some historic ups and downs in the southwest Georgia county. He personally delivered food to hungry citizens and rescue workers during life-altering tornadoes and storms that devastated his district, he remained loyal to long-time friend Michael McCoy when the former county administrator was unceremoniously removed from office, and it was Jones who, after 11 years of trying, spearheaded efforts to make the Nelms Road/U.S. 19 intersection safer after several deaths and collisions there.

“That intersection has always been dangerous, and when I was elected to the board, I reached out to DOT (Department of Transportation) officials and requested that a traffic light be put up at that intersection,” Jones said. “DOT said there was not enough traffic to warrant a traffic light, but I wasn’t satisfied. I had them out here to do five studies.”

When yet another deadly crash at the site in 2025 resulted in another death, Jones became a tireless advocate, insisting that state officials do something at the intersection.

“We had community meetings, and it was clear the local citizens were tired of excuses,” Jones said. “I started calling people, telling them, ‘We’ve got another death here, what are you going to do?’ I reached out to (state House member) Gerald Greene, and he started calling people. See, in a situation like this, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

The county did not get the traffic light that citizens in the Putney area wanted, but Jones’ efforts led to a fast-track DOT project to install an “R-cut” at the intersection at the end of last year. So far, there have been no major crashes at the site since that work was completed.

Getting the safety feature added at Nelms Road was one of several accomplishments Jones was instrumental in helping complete in his role as commissioner. He points to “that $1.7 (community center) building” being built in Putney; a new community park developed in the Pine Glen community; speed bumps placed at strategic locations throughout District 6; and the development of a pickleball/tennis complex adjacent to the Albany Mall that utilizes funds that have sat unused for more than a decade and, Jones notes, “might just save the mall.”

“The mall here has always been a major retail outlet in southwest Georgia,” Jones said. “But, man, it’s been on life support for a while now. The city and county had SPLOST funds that had been allocated for development of a tennis center, but no one could make a decision on where to locate such a center.

“One of our leading businessmen, Mr. Milan Patel, called me up one day and said he wanted to show me something. He said he’d brought up the possibility of using land he owned at the mall to build a center, but no one would listen to him.”

Jones did. He met with Patel, found out that the developer’s plan called for the donation of land he owned, and Jones quickly got on board. He reached out to his colleagues on the Dougherty Commission, and when he got their blessing, he started calling counterparts on the Albany Commission.

“(City Commissioners) Chad Warbington and Bob Langstaff, I believe, got on board,” Jones said. “And when we had a discussion of the proposal at a commission meeting, (City Manager) Terrell Jacobs showed up. We discussed the proposal, and Mr. Jacobs told us what the city could do. I tell you what, this gentleman came along at just the right time.”

The pickleball/tennis center, along with an adjacent sports bar complex, is currently set for construction.

While Jones has played a key role in a number of projects that have had a huge impact on Albany and Dougherty County, he said there’s plenty of work to be done going into the next four years. He mentions “stabilizing the county’s tax digest, strengthening the county’s landfill enterprise fund, working closely with our Economic Development Commission to bring jobs to the community, and creating a strategic plan for county operations” as vital to the community’s future.

Jones dismisses his opponent’s claims that he was denied the opportunity to sign on to volunteer for county positions to help make the community better.

“If you live in Albany and you want to help make this community better, you have to be willing to put your shoulder to the wheel,” Jones said. “You have to get in the game. If anyone wants to help in this community, they can volunteer at any number of places. Making excuses only sound good to the people making them.

“You have to be cut out to be a person of service. That’s me. I believe in collaboration with my fellow commissioners and other leaders, and I’ve proven, I believe, that I’m going to do everything I can to see that the people of District 6 and Dougherty County get what they deserve. I will always listen, learn and lead.”