Congressman Mondaire Jones visits: Redistricting may put Warwick in his district
Jones focused on visiting businesses that benefitted from Paycheck Protection Program loans for which he had been an advocate during the pandemic shutdown period, he said.
| 19 Apr 2022 | 12:47
Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY17), second from right, walked around the Village of Warwick with Mayor Michael Newhard, second from left, and Brooke Lorimer, far right, Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce public relations coordinator, and Kim Corkum, left WVCC treasurer.
Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY17) chatted with people around the Village of Warwick last week. (
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Warwick, N.Y. — U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones (D-NY17) joined Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard last week to tour Main Street in the Village and visit small businesses.
“The shops I visited today received a combined $200,000 in PPP loans that I fought for in Congress, and they have used it to keep their doors open and retain their employees,” Jones said. “When shops like these thrive, whole communities thrive. I’m working to deliver the resources to ensure they keep growing.”
If redistricting changes withstand legal challenges, which Jones said he expects to be the case, Warwick, Monroe, Goshen, Minisink, Port Jervis and Sullivan County will be among additions to his district, which is now largely in Rockland and Westchester Counties. He will be up for re-election in November.
Asked what he found in his tour of this new area of the district, Jones said, “People want to feel seen and heard. They care about economic opportunity and federal resources for infrastructure and community health.”
He had a “meet and greet” with 50 people from both parties in Sullivan County and was “well received,” he said.
Jones, who will be 35 in May, serves on the House Judiciary, Education and Labor, and Ethics Committees and is the first openly gay, Black member of Congress, according to his official biography. He attended East Ramapo public schools and was raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs. They lived in Section 8 housing in the Village of Spring Valley in Rockland County and ate food bought with food stamps.
Jones later graduated from Stanford University, worked at the Department of Justice during the Obama Administration, and graduated from Harvard Law School. He is a co-founder of the nonprofit Rising Leaders, Inc. and has previously served on the NAACP’s National Board of Directors and on the board of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Most recently, Jones worked as a litigator in the Westchester County Law Department. He was unanimously elected by his colleagues to be the Freshman Representative to Leadership for the 117th Congress, making him the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership team. Additionally, Jones serves as a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus. Jones now resides in Westchester County.