Breezing through town in his white Corvette or on his Harley, Ron Jones stands out. And when the residents of Burnside. were looking for a new mayor, he stood out to them as the man for the job.
With leadership skills from his time in the Navy and a reputation as a successful businessman from his years in real estate, residents urged him to run for office, though he was reluctant at first.
“They told me: ‘You better run for mayor or we’ll run you out of town.’” So he did, and he won in a landslide.
When he’s not at city council meetings or overseeing the tourism board, Ron might be riding with the Blue Knights, a motorcycle group of active and retired law enforcement officers, or at home watching TV with his wife Emma Lou. With her friendly, talkative nature, Emma Lou is as much a part of the city council as her husband.
“We call her Ms. Mayor,” county clerk Crissa Morris says. This is not the first time the couple has worked together. When business was booming at Ron Jones Realty, Ron and Emma Lou worked in adjacent offices seven days a week, and they’re proud of their long and successful partnerships — both in business and marriage.
Forty years after moving to Burnside from western Kentucky, Ron and Emma Lou still love the friendliness and peacefulness of “the only town on Lake Cumberland.” Ron says he feels close to his neighbors and constituents. “You’re almost like a family ’round here.”
