Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones called out the advocacy group A Better Columbus on Thursday for what he believes are “openly racist attacks” he says have recently targeted his wife.
Flanked by his wife Stephanie, city officials and more than a dozen of his constituents during a press conference in front of City Hall, Jones called ABC a “cancer” that is eating away at the city’s progress and whose purpose is “to terrorize the Black demographic in Columbus.”
He also called on citizens to stop donating to ABC and for business owners to stop allowing the organization’s print publication, Columbus Matters, to be distributed at their shops.
“I’m putting everyone on notice that this organization uses intimidation and racial division to advance their political aim. And you have the power to stand up against it,” Jones said. “… I afford you grace (for supporting ABC) in saying you did not know their true purpose. But now that you do, what will you do? Will you continue to support an organization that prints lies and uses dog whistles and race-baiting rhetoric to stoke division? I hope not because Columbus is better than this.”
An article published in the July edition of Columbus Matters noted Zumba in Pink, a group Stephanie Jones organized three years ago to promote breast cancer awareness, had filed as a nonprofit corporation with the Secretary of State’s Office in 2023 but had not taken the additional step of filing for charity status so it could solicit donations. It also says the group had not filed a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service for 2023.
The article goes on to call Councilman Jones, who has announced his intent to run for mayor next year, “ethically flawed” and someone who “sufficiently lowered the bar for candidate qualification.”
Councilman Jones, who said he did not know about ABC’s article until a few days ago, said Thursday that he doesn’t mind what the group says about him. His wife, on the other hand, should be off limits.
“My wife is not used to this level of bullying and shouldn’t be subject to it just because she is married to me,” he said. “… It may not seem like a big deal to you, but when your family is defamed for sport, it becomes personal.”
Zumba in Pink hosts a fundraising event each October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, that involves a window decorating contest for downtown businesses, along with other festivities. Proceeds are donated to the Columbus Imaging Center to defray patient costs for mammograms, Stephanie Jones said. Last year’s event raised $3,500. This year’s event is Saturday.
The Dispatch confirmed Thursday that Zumba in Pink is a nonprofit in good standing with the Secretary of State’s Office but is not a registered charity. A spokesperson with the office said the group would likely qualify for an exemption to file as a charity, based on its fundraising totals, but it would have to file for one. To date, Zumba in Pink has not filed any paperwork with the Charities Division, the spokesperson said.
A divisive publication?
Will Sanders, a retired accountant, and Leslie Sorrell, a retired political strategist/lobbyist, established ABC in 2020 as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization with the Internal Revenue Service. Its donations aren’t tax deductible, but there are fewer limits on its advocacy and lobbying. Plus, the group does not have to divulge its members.
Since then, the group has been critical of city officials and demanded transparency in the city’s financial practices, often pointing out what it sees as corruption or incompetence.
Councilman Jones in his press conference claimed ABC specifically targets the city because its citizens and leadership are majority Black. Lowndes County, and other local public bodies that are majority white, don’t get the same level of scrutiny from ABC, he said.
Mayor Keith Gaskin, who also spoke at the councilman’s press conference, said he did not like the divisiveness he sometimes sees in Columbus Matters and on social media. He added it is “not helpful” to drag family members of candidates into campaigns.
“This community is much better than what is presented in the paper that Councilman Jones has listed and I think in others, as well, sometimes,” Gaskin said. “… I do not think people should be unjustly sought out and attacked for simply trying to do good in the city.”
ABC responds
Sorrell, in an email to The Dispatch on Thursday, denied the councilman’s allegations of racism. She called ABC “investigative, informational and educational” and an organization that intends to focus on the city.
“That many of the matters uncovered involve black people is a function of probabilities (Columbus is majority black.),” Sorrell wrote. “However, ABC has been critical of white people too.”
She listed criticisms of City Attorney Jeff Turnage and Chief Financial Officer Jim Brigham, as well as former Chief Operations Officer David Armstrong, former Public Information Officer Joe Dillon and the late Councilman Bill Gavin as examples.
“The Councilman’s prepared remarks, he failed to refute any established facts, only laying the accusation of racism. The racism tactic is not new,” she wrote. “The accusation of racism often happens when no relevant facts can be presented.”
Her email also contained personal attacks against Stephen and Stephanie Jones, specifically their involvement in a 2018 embezzlement case at Bargain Hunt where police reports and store surveillance revealed the couple among at least seven customers who were allowed to leave the store with unpaid items. The cashier was charged for embezzlement, but none of the customers were prosecuted.
Councilman Jones denied any wrongdoing in the case, saying at the time, “I paid for all my stuff.”
Stephanie Jones, speaking to The Dispatch on Thursday, said the ABC article gave her a glimpse of what next year’s campaign season could bring.
“But we’re going to stay positive, keep God first, and I’m going to stand behind my husband,” she said.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
