Cuyahoga County Democrats have again endorsed Joe Jones for reelection in Ward 1 after Cleveland City Council released a letter detailing a council employee’s complaint that Jones had threatened to kill him. 

Jones had already won the backing of Ward 1’s executive committee members. But David Brock, the party chair, called for a re-vote in light of the letter.

Jones told a law firm investigator that the remark at the center of the complaint had been a joke, the letter said. A City Council censure vote is expected in September, just after the primary. 

At an online meeting Saturday morning, Jones won 16 votes from executive committee members in Ward 1. State Rep. Juanita Brent won three votes. Lesa Jones Dollar, Marc Crosby and Aylwin Bridges also sought the endorsement. 

Jones told Signal Cleveland that he was “humbled” by the results of the vote. In a phone interview, he noted that he received two more votes than the 14 he received in the first endorsement. He pointed to work he has done in the neighborhood — such as his efforts to give out free Ring doorbells. 

The Ward 1 incumbent said that people who knew him knew his character.

“They can fully take the assessment to understand that these allegations that are being launched are exactly what they are, and they see straight through it,” he said.

Jones said he saw the allegations as politics. Asked who was playing politics with an employee’s complaint released by the council president, Jones said that it was a political season and he was focused on his work. 

“At the end of the day, God will let things be seen as they are,” he said. “And so right now, they are what they are, and we don’t have any comments on that right now.” 

Jones did not address the employee complaint in a brief speech asking committee members for their votes. 

“I have been fighting for our community since I was an infant,” he told the group on Zoom.

In her speech to the committee, Dollar did allude to the complaints. In January, council released a memo saying Jones engaged in a “sustained pattern of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior” after complaints from employees and others. (Jones issued an apology statement earlier this year.)

“This election is bigger than a seat,” Dollar said. “This election is about the soul of our community. So do we settle, or do we rise up for honesty, fairness and respect?”

As the ward leader in Ward 1, Jones has the power to help name people to the executive committee, which is made up of both elected and appointed members. Under county Democratic Party rules, the ward leader recommends people for appointment to the committee by the chair. 

Both Jones and Brent serve on the executive committee and voted to endorse themselves. Brent is the county party’s vice chair.

After the vote, Brock released a statement saying he was troubled by the complaint about Jones and that the party should take a “hard look” at its rules.

Jones plays defense in interview, campaign appearance

Jones has been defending himself as he seeks another term. He told the Outlaws Radio Show that he was facing “malicious attacks” this election season. 

“It has been very stressful and it has caused actual trauma to me,” Jones told the Outlaws show, “also resulting on me having to step back and not be my authentic self.” 

Jones said he was joking when he told the employee, “I’ll blow you up on your motorcycle” if the worker gave out the council member’s computer password. (The employee told the council president and others that Jones had said, “I’ll f—ing kill you on your motorcycle,” according to the letter and accompanying documents.)

A second employee reported that Jones sat next to her at a council meeting, despite instructions to stay away from her because of a previous bullying complaint. Jones said in the Outlaws interview that he inadvertently sat next to her while trying to hear a presentation. 

The Ward 1 council member objected to Democrats’ endorsement do-over in the days leading up to the vote. In a letter to the party, he likened it to something the Republican Party would do. Brock wrote to Jones that he made the decision “in the best interests of the Party.”

Jones tried to rally voters to his side at the Harvard Cultural Festival last weekend. On the lawn outside the Harvard Community Services Center in Ward 1, he talked about rising home prices and new development in the ward. 

He encouraged his audience to tune out what they saw on the news. 

“I’m honored to serve as your councilman,” he said. “Keep me in your prayers. Don’t believe everything you hear on television.”