Kevin Jones publicly said he would have supported the emergency moratorium, despite legal advice that it was not lawful. That should concern Washington County voters.
Emergency government action is meant for true emergencies, not political pressure or preferred outcomes. County legal counsel advised that the moratorium did not meet the legal standard because there was no imminent peril facing the county. There was no threat of death or serious physical harm that justified bypassing the normal legal process.
That matters because when public officials ignore legal guardrails, taxpayers can pay the price. In this case, the moratorium led to a federal lawsuit. That alone should make voters stop and think.
Kevin Jones’s answer also raises a larger issue about judgment. Public office is not just about having good intentions. It is about making sound decisions, respecting the law, and understanding when government power should and should not be used.
Washington County deserves leaders who follow the law even when it is inconvenient. We deserve leaders who understand that legal process is not an obstacle. It is protection for the county and its taxpayers.
This issue is bigger than one vote or one forum answer. It points to a troubling mindset in local politics where some people praise legal advice when it supports what they want, but dismiss it when it does not. That is not principled leadership. That is convenience.
Voters should take Kevin Jones’s statement seriously. Good judgment matters, especially when the decisions made in office can expose the county to unnecessary legal and financial risk.
