The owner of Chick and Ruth’s Delly on Main Street in Annapolis has launched his bid to represent District 7 on the Anne Arundel County Council.
Spencer Jones took over the Annapolis staple in 2021 following his dad’s unexpected death. The Democrat said he wants to improve the permitting process for Anne Arundel businesses and do his part to mitigate ever-growing housing costs while he’s at it.
“We need to make and keep Anne Arundel County affordable for all,” Jones said.
A 27-year-old political newcomer, Jones is vying to represent the currently wide-open race to represent the area that reaches from Crofton to the Anne Arundel County border in South County.
Shannon Leadbetter, a first-term Crofton Republican currently representing District 7, will not seek reelection on the Council, despite being eligible for two more terms. Jones said he had been considering entering the race for District 7 before Leadbetter announced her decision to vacate her seat earlier this month.
“It was a bit of a surprise to me,” Jones said of Leadbetter’s decision. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about, ways I could potentially serve the community. It changed the race a little bit, but it wasn’t what spurred me to do this.”
In January 2021, Jones’ dad, Keith, died unexpectedly. Working in IT in Wisconsin at the time, he moved east and settled in Crofton. Jones took over as owner of Chick and Ruth’s as well as his dad’s four Five Guys restaurants across Anne Arundel County.
With no restaurant experience, Jones said he had to navigate his new businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic. He now has about 100 employees across the county.
“I tend to be pretty emotionally levelheaded; that helps a lot in a situation like that,” Jones said. “There are going to be cases in government, too, when you’re in crisis mode. That’s the approach you have to take, ‘We can’t fix all of this at once; let’s focus on what we can control.’”
Jones grew up in Northern Virginia and earned his bachelor’s degree in statistics from Virginia Tech. He lives in Crofton with his fiancee.
He said his own struggles as a young person managing the costs of living and running a business make him the leader the county needs to mitigate those costs.
Jones described enduring the time-consuming, cost-elevating permit process at his restaurants. He said he’s spoken to other business owners who have been penalized for what he called unnecessary restrictions.
“You might have a set of rules that each on its own seems reasonable,” Jones said. “But the sum total of 100 reasonable rules can create a really unreasonable burden. Right now, that balance has gotten out of whack.”
Jones applauded public safety in District 7, although he said he intends to focus on providing first responders with the resources and staffing they need.
He said his fresh political perspective and experience running a business will be assets on the County Council and help to accomplish those goals.
“I had no training or experience in the industry, got thrown into the deep end, and it was sink or swim,” Jones said. “Having that background gives me confidence in taking on new challenges. The value of hard work can’t be understated no matter what field you’re going into.”
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