After more than eight years on Brookhaven City Council, Linley Jones’ time is ending after the District 1 councilmember lost the Dec. 5 runoff election to Michael Diaz. Jones will attend her last council meeting on Dec. 19.
“It has been truly an honor to serve the citizens of Brookhaven,” Jones reflected.
Growing up on St. Simons Island, Ga., Jones entered Emory University at age 16 as a political science major. Her passion for local journalism led her to write for Emory’s political newspaper. She went on to graduate from Georgia State University school of law, served as the political editor of the Georgia State Law Review, and has appeared on CNN as a legal analyst.
Now, she owns a law practice just outside of Brookhaven. She practices yoga every day, and she’s a baseball mom to her son Elijah, a senior in high school.
A proponent for cityhood, she remembers the day State Rep. Mike Jacobs called. It was a moment she’ll never forget.
“I was driving up Peachtree Road. [Jacobs] was calling because I’d made some noise about potentially having a city in our area of unincorporated North DeKalb, as we were known at the time. He asked, ‘What would you think about me carrying a bill for cityhood?’ I was absolutely thrilled,” Jones said.
Jacobs called J. Max Davis, who later served as mayor of Brookhaven, and Rebecca Chase Williams, who served as a city councilmember then mayor, and they formed Citizens for North DeKalb.
“Here we sit 14 years later, in the great city of Brookhaven, and that’s quite a thrill,” Jones said.
In 2015, Brookhaven City Council played musical chairs. Mayor Davis resigned to run for the state legislature, Chase Williams was appointed interim mayor, and Jones was asked to fill the District 1 seat because of her connection to the cityhood movement. Jones was elected in 2015 and 2019 before losing in this month’s runoff.
Although Jones was disappointed by the low voter turnout, which is not unusual for a municipal election, she appreciated that many residents were involved in the 2023 election process.
“Those who were active demonstrated their passion for our community, and I hope that activity continues after this campaign season is closed out,” said Jones.
During her time on city council, Jones has been party to some controversial issues: a salary increase for mayor and council members, the $78 million city hall project, development in her district at Osborne Road and Windsor Parkway, and a $40 million park bond.
Jones said one of her great challenges has been planning, approving, and putting to use the park bond. Communities had the opportunity to dream big, which they did, she said.
“When it came time to build, the community sentiment about change had to be faced. Now … the park bond is nearing its close out and everyone loves the parks. It’s hard to remember that there was a time when you had to wear mud boots just to walk around Murphy Candler Lake,” Jones said.
Brookhaven has fought with DeKalb County and its residents over green space in prior years, but the city continues to pour money into parks.
Asked about the amount of time she spends on city business, Jones said it’s everywhere, all the time.
“I may think I’m just out to dinner with my family and next thing I know, we’re all talking about something important to the city for 30 minutes. It’s impossible to know where private life ends and public life begins,” Jones said. “That’s part of the joy of it.”
Brookhaven City Council members in 2023 made $13,000 per year, but the salaries will more than double in 2024. The Brookhaven Charter Commission, a group appointed to review the city’s charter every five years, recommended in 2023 a salary increase so that people could afford to serve on city council.
Jones voted no to the salary increase. She said while she understood the logic behind it, she “has always felt that public service is best when it comes at a cost, and is undertaken by those willing to pay the cost to make things better.”
She did, however, vote to raise the salaries at the Brookhaven Police Department.
“The vast majority of items that come before [city council] are not controversial. They’re important measures that just need passing. But my record will show that I was a dissenting vote on a number of issues that were significant to the citizens of my district,” she said.
Brookhaven has led the charge in becoming a welcoming city by installing the Comfort Women memorial at Blackburn Park, reviewing race and ethnicity in city documents and practices, passing a non-discrimination ordinance, and warding off antisemitism by banning threatening flyers and images.
“Brookhaven’s progress is due in part to Brookhaven’s courage,” she said. “The citizens of our city are committed, courageous, and willing to stand behind a city council that follows through on the promise of being a welcoming city.”
“I have loved so dearly being a part of the city of Brookhaven … I will miss seeing so many of the projects coming to fruition up close, but I will look forward to seeing them as a citizen – everything from the completion of the Ashford Dunwoody multi-use path, which has been a passionate undertaking of mine, to our new city center.”
“We’ve come leaps and bounds. It has been truly an honor to serve the citizens of Brookhaven,” she said.
