State Rep. Jewell Jones is serving his first term representing the 11th House District, which comprises all of Garden City and Inkster, and portions of Dearborn Heights, Livonia and Westland.
Rep. Jones grew up in Inkster, where his parents made sure that he was an active and integral member of the community. His family actively participated in church and neighborhood activities, and Rep. Jones credits his parents with instilling in him a strong sense of civic duty and personal responsibility.
Rep. Jones attended the Inkster Pubic Schools, a district that was disbanded by the state in 2013 because of its troubled financial standing. Jones was still a 20-year-old student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn when he was encouraged to run for a spot on the Inkster City Council in 2015. When he won that race, he became the youngest person ever to win a seat on the council, where he worked to make a difference in a community fighting to overcome a legacy of redlining and discrimination.
The seat of the 11th state House District became open the following year when former state Rep. Julie Plawecki passed away suddenly. Jones was encouraged to seek the nomination to run for the seat, and in 2016 — at the age of 21 — he became the youngest person ever to win a seat in the Michigan Legislature.
While a member of the Legislature, Rep. Jones continues to attend the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he is pursuing a double major in political science and finance. He is also a member of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and an auxiliary member of the Inkster Police Department.