David Clark Jones Announces Re-Election Campaign for Dandridge City Council

David Jones

David Jones is an eighth generation Jefferson County resident and except for two years in Nashville has always lived in or within three miles of Dandridge. Active in Dandridge city government since 1978, Jones has served intermittently as an alderman along with two terms as mayor of the town. He currently serves as an alderman. He graduated from Jefferson County Schools, 1969 Class at Maury High School. He obtained a B. A. degree in history from then Carson-Newman College and an M. S. degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

He served as a teacher of social studies at White Pine School, technology coordinator at Jefferson County High School, principal of White Pine Elementary school and supervisor of education for Jefferson County Schools. After 26 years in Jefferson County he worked ten years for the Tennessee Education Association until his retirement in 2010. Since that time he has worked with his wife at Rachel’s Attic, an antiques and collectibles shop in Dandridge.

He has been very active in his church, First Dandridge United Methodist serving on the administrative board, as missions’ chairperson, as a Sunday school teacher, the Council on Ministries and the Staff/Parish Committee. He is active in the Dandridge Lions Club holding several offices including King Lion. He is currently the president-elect of the Jefferson County Retired Teachers Association.

David believes in planning for the future, serving on both the Dandridge Historic Planning Commission and the Dandridge Regional Planning Commission. He serves on the Dandridge Memorial Library Board and was actively involved in raising money for the current library building. He also serves on the board of the Dandridge Community Trust where has been chairman of the Economic Restructuring Committee and actively involved in planning for the Farmer’s Market Pavilion. As a member of the East Tennessee Historical Society, he supports historic preservation in the East Tennessee area.

The Town of Dandridge has been undergoing tremendous change and will continue to do so. The building of the new Highway 92 Bridge will bring new traffic challenges to the town and will affect the current library location. The library needs to expand and will either look at additional land at the current site or will have to seek a new location. Dandridge, located on the shores of Douglas Lake, has waterfront land that can be developed, and the town has entered into a contract to look at potential development. Streetscape plans for the downtown courthouse frontage along with a new site for the farmer’s market are on the front burner.

While all of this is going on Dandridge is seeking a new source of water from KUB in Knoxville to be sure that water is reliably available to the town at reasonable prices. It is important that Dandridge manage its finances well to meet the existing and future needs of its citizens. Taxes need to remain low but additional grants and financing will be needed for new and ongoing projects. Citizens of the town need to band together to support these new and exciting challenges.