I have a wonderful family. I have been married to Susie Mae (Bennett)
Jones for 30 years. We have four stout hearty boys: Nathan, 24, who works
for the Eureka City Schools as the custodian over the gymnasium and pool, Matthew, 22, who now works for a local tire dealer, David, 20, who is going to College of the Redwoods, and Timothy who is in his last year at Eureka High School. All four boys will have graduated from the same high school I went to – Eureka High Loggers.
I am a commercial insurance agent, and for the past ten years have worked for the Penfold/Leavitt Insurance Agency in Eureka.
When I am not working, I love to spend time with my family. Frequently we
take trips to San Francisco to see the Giants. This past year, we saw the
final series with the LA Dodgers. One son, Tim, spent the entire weekend on his surfboard in McCovey Cove waiting for one of Mr. Bond's balls to hit the drink. This past year we were on the traveling Fan Club for our boy’s softball team. During the week I like to play a game or two of racquetball with my friends at Cal Courts.
My parents moved us here in 1957, when my father became the store manager for the Safeway Store in Henderson Center. You might recognize it now as Finnegan and Nason Auto Parts Store. I lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Ohio and Nebraska for short periods of time, but could never find a better place to live than right here in Humboldt County.
Eureka is beautiful. The other day a business friend told me of his
experience crossing the Samoa Bridge and looking at the bay and the city
in the background. I have had that same breathtaking feeling numerous times, reminding me to stop and " Smell the Roses". We have access to
such beauty. Eureka is in the middle of what I call, ‘The Seven Wonders of
Humboldt County’. In minutes one can be in Fern Canyon, or on the beach at the Lost Coast. In even less minutes, one can be in Sequoia Park, or at the beach in Samoa. I love meeting new people and having them join the numbers of friends I see daily. I love Eureka's potential and the new businesses that are opening.
I would love to see the continuing blossoming of Eureka. I am hopeful we
will be able to develop the Balloon Tract into an industrial park and see
our port developed into something that will be of benefit to employment
opportunities.
I am hopeful my primary focus will continue to see the City of Eureka
prosper in it's economic basis, with affordable housing for the influx of
new, first-time home buyers, and a bitter resistance to drugs and crime in
our community. Currently, I am serving on the Housing Advisory Board, the
Harbor Commission and the Humboldt Transit Authority. I have served in the negotiating process with the EFL and the EPOA.
There is no question that affordable housing is one of the biggest concerns for the City of Eureka. All of Eureka's positive features should be seen as opportunities to do things the way we want and to continue to support our local Police and Fire, and to become involved in such things as the Volunteer Patrol. Neighborhood Watches are another strong vehicle to keep our neighborhoods clean and clear from harmful situations.
We have to continue to make our business environment very friendly, taking a look at the large and the small, and choosing only the very best for our city.
So much has been done already, a little more "wrapping paper and a
BIG Bow" will make this a gift to our Children and theirs.
Mike Jones
City Councilmember, 5th Ward
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