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If there’s one thing the newly sworn-in Teachey mayor can’t stand, it’s division. “Division really ruffles my feathers,” said Bobby Jones, who was sworn in as the town’s newest mayor on Dec. 11. “So I’m all about breeding unity, whatever it takes to produce unity and cultivate unity within the community. That’s going to be the foundation behind everything we do, and every decision that we make.”
Jones is a native of the Teachey area, and a 2003 graduate of Wallace-Rose Hill High School. He’s also an Air Force veteran, serving four years after high school, mostly stationed in Los Angeles, California. “I just had other aspirations outside of that, educationally, that took me down a different road, so I did my four and no more, basically,” he said.
Once he was out of the Air Force, Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology, is a licensed minister, and received his master’s in professional counseling. He now works with Beulaville Mayor Hutch Jones at Tar Heel Human Services. His wife, Brittany, is also a therapist, and they have two children, Camden, 9, and Levia, 2.
After earning his education, Jones moved back to Teachey, and has now been living in the town he was born and raised in for the past 13 years. His mother, Thelma Jones, is well-known in the community, he said, having maintained a career in customer service for more than 40 years. “We lived out in the country in Rose Hill for most of my childhood, and she lives right beside us now, which is amazing,” he said. “It’s great to have the kids run over there, so they can have grandma time.” Also, he added jokingly, “She was able to get me an extra vote for this election!”
A self-described born-again believer and devout Christian, Jones said his desire to serve his community is ultimately what led him to run for mayor. “I go by the scripture, Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve. And that’s what I want to do,” he said. “As a mayor, I don’t want to be served and demand things, and just have a position or a title. I want to truly make a difference, bringing the community together, serving the needs of Teachey.”
He calls his first Board of Commissioners meeting as mayor “surreal,” though he hates to use a cliched term. “It was a very different view from this side of the table,” he said.
When it comes to goals for his first term as Teachey mayor, Jones said he really just wants to bring the community together. “During our campaign, me and my wife Brittany threw a community day for Teachey,” he explained. “We called it a Teachey Community Festival. We told everybody, ‘We’re not expecting money. We’re not expecting anything, but for you to come here and enjoy time together.’ That’s what we really want our term here to be about is community involvement, community support, and community engagement.”
The community is already somewhat engaged, with most of the seats usually filled during the monthly board meetings. “I really want to get even more of the community engaged and aware,” Jones said. “Because a lot of what I want to do is promote transparency, so that the people know exactly where their tax money is going, really. I think awareness is so critical, and paramount, when it comes to local government.”
To him, Teachey represents “working class people that wake up, go to work, care for their family, and wake up the next morning and do it all again.” He also wholeheartedly supports the Teachey Volunteer Fire Department. “Public safety is huge on my agenda,” he said. “That’s really what Teachey’s only public safety is, the fire department.”
Just a few days into his new job as mayor, Jones said he’s still figuring it all out. However, to him, the most important thing is to represent the town well.
“It’s establishing relationships with people, and businesses, so that you have community support for one another,” he said. “At the end of the day, there’s going to be a time when we all need something. And what we really need is support from other people. The more we support and love one another, I think the better off the community can be.”
