Hi, I’m Claire Jones. This is my story.

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I grew up in Kentucky. My mom was a teacher and my dad never said no to a book. We were involved in the Baptist church and believed in things like freedom, compassion, love, and giving back to the community.

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I moved to Nashville to go to Belmont, worked on Music Row and married a country music singer-songwriter. We had three kids, and I changed careers to become a nurse. We’ve made the Grassland area our home for the great public schools and thriving community.

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Life has a way of shifting your focus on what matters. I lost a co-worker to gun violence in 2020, and after Covenant, I felt like I had to go to the state Capitol and be part of the solution. As a Democrat, I knew I would be working with people who don’t always agree with me, but I trusted that Republican lawmakers from our community would be willing to support some commonsense reform.

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That was not the case. Our lawmakers showed a total lack of compassion, and regardless of party, the community feels united in disbelief. 

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But it’s not just the gun issue. Vouchers could create a funding crisis for Williamson County and lead to higher property taxes. It feels like freedom is under threat, whether it’s banning books or the total abortion ban.

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I keep hearing “these aren’t the values I voted for” from a lot of people. I think we’re all craving more unity across our community, and my generation is tired of the party-line voting. If Williamson County can bridge our divides, we’ll preserve a thriving democracy for our children.

 

In community,

Claire