Democrat Mounts Challenge To Incumbent State Senator

Democrat Bill Jones said his personal understanding of tough economic times, accounting experience and willingness to listen to his constituents will give him an edge in the race for Tennessee’s 1st District state Senate seat.

The 1st District covers Sullivan and Johnson counties and is currently represented by Sen. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, who is also the state’s lieutenant governor.

“It’s a challenging opportunity,” Jones said during a Wednesday interview about his campaign.

Jones, 65, says he’s in “the prime of my life,” and is the only Democrat to challenge Ramsey this year. He was born in Kingsport, Tenn., and was raised by a single mother who took care of him and his brother while working at a local coin-operated laundry.

Jones dropped out of high school and joined the Army when he was 17. Though he earned his GED during three years in the Army, he said it wasn’t enough to get a good job so he joined the Air Force when he was 20.

After four years in the Air Force, Jones used the GI Bill to pay for attending East Tennessee State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting.

He worked 33 years for the U.S. Department of Defense where he audited many multi-million-dollar contracts. He continues his accounting career today by working as a sole practitioner in Sullivan County.

“Big numbers and big budgets don’t bother me because I’m used to that,” Jones said, adding his accounting experience will be useful when crafting the state’s budget each year.

Jones said his experiences growing up also help his campaign because he can relate to people who are themselves struggling in today’s economy.

“I’ve lived that,” he said. “I know what it is like to wonder, ‘can I get to work tomorrow, because I’m out of gas?’ ”

Jones said Ramsey is out of touch with his constituents and unwilling to listen to their concerns. He said he’s met a number of people on the campaign trail who have had similar complaints and want a change.

“Things can’t go on the way they are,” Jones said, adding he has no political ambitions other than doing his best to help 1st District residents. “We need a change. We need a change for the better.”

Ramsey, who is running for his fourth term in the state Senate, quickly countered Jones’ assertions in a Friday telephone interview.

“The one advantage I have as being lieutenant governor is that I can get problems answered for my constituents,” Ramsey said, adding he has worked to get
money for several transportation projects in the area, including the U.S. 11E/19E interchange and state Route 75 improvements.

Ramsey said he has also helped Kingsport build a new higher education center, local school systems get the money they needed from the state government and capital so Northeast State Technical Community College can continue to expand its campus. He said he has taken on these projects because “nothing can help people more than a good education system.”

While his political experience and campaign war chest far outmatch Jones’, the incumbent senator said he is not taking anything for granted with his campaign.

“You always run like you’re running from behind,” said Ramsey, who according to the state Registry of Finance finished the quarter with $196,000 in his campaign finance account compared to Jones’ $1,400. “It’s just meeting people and shaking hands. I love doing it.”

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