Bill Torpy: The return of Vernon
When it became clear that Vernon Jones was once again running for office, I clicked my heals and smiled. No, Vernon is not necessarily good for DeKalb, but he does make things interesting. And, if he did win, he'd be just one of 180 in the state House, so there's not a lot he can do to mess things up.
Jones, DeKalb County's two-term CEO, is one of the more polarizing figures in recent Georgia political history. But in the eight years since leaving office, he's been an electoral punching bag, getting hammered as he ran for U.S. Senate, congressman and sheriff. This time, he's trying a less ambitious route — state House, the place he started 24 years ago.
And there're signs out there that his bad luck might just change. Big signs. Way bigger than his opponents'.
About the Author
Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.
