Mia Jones is the director of the Minority Business Affairs office for the Duval County Public School system. She is running for King Holzendorf’s District 10 City Council seat.
THE MINORITY BUSINESS OFFICE
The office implements the Minority Business Development and Assistance Program (MBDAP), which makes it easier for minority-owned businesses in Jacksonville to land School Board contracts. Duties range from general awareness to technical assistance, to running workshops on efficiency techniques and hosting procurement fairs. Connecting buyers with sellers is a big part of it. Jones represents construction companies, lawn maintenance workers, design teams and food service companies. Every invoice for a School Board contract passes through the office so Jones and her staff of five can analyze how improvements can be made for greater minority representation.
EDUCATION
Jones graduated from Raines Senior High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in human resource management from Florida A&M University.
CHAMBER ACTIVITY
She’s the former president of the Northwest Area Council and current chair of the executive committee, overseeing all area councils. “I try to go to at least two meetings a month.”
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE CHAMBER?
“It makes a lot of sense in terms of what I do for the School Board. The Chamber is working to help minority businesses succeed and so is the minority business office. Understanding that many of their initiatives correspond with ours, we feed of each other’s knowledge base. I work very closely with Lew Belkin and the Small Business Center on the Northside.”
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL?
“I always knew I wanted to be in politics. Ever since I was a kid, I have been in various kinds of leadership positions, and because of that, I’ve met a lot of people and learned a lot of things. I’ve been a public servant for 10 years and I want to expand that role. I thought City Council would be a good place to start.”
OTHER ACTIVITIES
She’s a Leadership Jacksonville alumnus and involved wth Project Blueprint. She’s also active in the Children’s Church Ministry and Vacation Bible School Ministry at Bethel Baptist.
YOU’VE GOT FIVE OPPONENTS IN THE DISTRICT 10 RACE. WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES?
“I’ve got some pretty substantial support from some good people, but we’ll see what happens. My message is, ‘New Voice. New Vision. Visible Results.’ I want to try to develop a total community voice for the Northside, an area that I think has a story to tell.”
WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO DO FOR THE NORTHSIDE?
“The quality of life should be just as good there as it is in every other district in Jacksonville. Our city is only as strong as our weakest link. I also plan on having a serious economic development angle to my campaign. If businesses feel like they can prosper in the Northside, then the whole area will be improved and people will look at the area differently.”
WHAT DISTINGUISHES YOU FROM THE REST?
“I feel strongly that public officials have to be accountable. I plan on sharing with my constituency, on a regular basis, what we as a government accomplish. And I really want to get young people involved. I was working on campaigns when I was eight years old. It’s important to start early because policies affect young people as well as old.”
WHEN DID YOU GET STARTED IN PUBLIC LIFE?
“Right out of graduate school when I went to work for the Equal Employment Office for the City, mostly taking complaints and investigating fair hiring practices. From there, I went to the School Board to supervise the affirmative action program. I didn’t think I had a chance of getting that job since when I was at the EEO, I was influential in having a School Board member fired for unfair practices, so when I went to the interview I said, ‘I will continue to be vigilant in upholding people’s rights, on either side of the river.’ I was surprised when they hired me.”
YOU DON’T MIND STIRRING THINGS UP?
“I want to be a change agent. I have been fighting the battle for equal rights on the front line for a long time and sometimes that means ruffling a few feathers.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION?
“It’s very important. Although my job has shifted from a focus there, to a focus on economic development, I still feel passionately about affirmative action. I worked on behalf of the Floridians Representing Equity and Equality to fight against Gov. Bush’s anti-affirmative action policies. We knew it would have a deleterious effect and it has.”
HOW IS JACKSONVILLE DOING IN TERMS OF RACE RELATIONS?
“We still have a long way to go. There are a lot of wonderful people who have been working to make sure that we have made a lot of progress, but just like the quality of life issue, it has to be consistent if we are to be successful. You can change policy but only people can change themselves. I helped JCCI coordinate the recent study on race relations due out in the next month or so. I’ll be anxious to see the results.”
— by Sean McManus