Phillip Damon Jones (born September 19, 1989) is an American politician and the current mayor of Newport News, Virginia.[2] He is the 27th and youngest directly elected mayor of the Virginia city.[3][b]
Jones was born on September 19, 1989, at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan.[5] His father, Daryl Jones, was an F-15 pilot, and his mother, Martha Stevenson-Jones was a KC-135 navigator in the United States Air Force.[6] When Jones was a teenager, the family moved to Hampton Roads, Virginia. He graduated from Hampton Christian Academy in 2008.[7] Jones attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on a vice presidential nomination.[8] In 2012, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in history and a commission in the United States Marine Corps.[9]
Jones served six years as a Marine Corps infantry officer with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. He currently serves as a Major in the United States Marine Corps Reserves.[10]
Jones was elected to office on Nov 8, 2022, winning with 40% of the vote over three members of the city council.[13]
During his election, he was endorsed by Governor Terry McAuliffe and State Senator Mamie Locke.
Prior to becoming mayor, Jones was a member of the Newport News Planning Commission for two years. He was sworn into office on January 10, 2023.[14]
Prior to his official first day in office, Jones was invited to the White House as part of a bi-partisan group of newly elected mayors.[16] There he met with President Joe Biden and members of the Biden-Harris Administration, including Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
On January 6, 2023, a six-year-old student at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, while inside their classroom.[17] The shooting was the first school shooting of 2023 and prompted major discussions around gun control and violence in the United States.[18] (The shooting occurred four days before Jones was sworn in.) During a press conference updating reporters, Jones called the incident a “red flag for the country.”[19]
In July 2023, Jones was selected as one of 40 mayors from around the world and 27 United States Mayors for the seventh class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.[20]
“The city has been committed to supporting Jefferson Lab’s robust educational and scientific offerings since 1985,” Jones said at an event announcing the news. "We have directly invested more than $64 million to ensure Jefferson Lab’s success and growth.”[24]