Earl Jones, new Guilford chair, a holdout on protest petition

Earl Jones was elected chairman of the Guilford County delegation to the General Assembly on Monday night, replacing Maggie Jeffus.

Interestingly, Jones is the only member of the House and Senate from Guilford County who declined to sign on as a cosponsor of legislation to restore the protest petition to Greensboro.

"I think it might be somewhat of conflict right now," he told me after the House session today. "I need to look at both sides of the issue. I think it would be a little premature to give everyone officially — people will come down and state both sides.... What I'm trying to say is I owe both sides a listening while I'm in session before I make a decision."

Update, Feb. 15, 6:16 p.m.: Jones told me last week that he had been waiting to hear the city's position on the protest petition, and now supports the legislation to restore it in Greensboro. He added that if the bill were to run into any trouble, he would lobby lobby for it as chairman of the Guilford County delegation.

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