Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, D-Chateugay Lake, a longtime representative of the North Country known for bringing his daughter Ella, 12, by his side on his travels around the expansive 115th Assembly District, announced he will be stepping down from his seat at the end of August.

Jones, the region’s only state representative in the Democratic party, made his announcement at a press conference in Plattsburgh on Tuesday. He said he is doing so to spend more time with his family, and to pursue a new opportunity. His resignation will trigger a special election to fill the seat.

Jones was elected for a fifth term in the Assembly last year, running unopposed. His term was set to last through the end of 2026. His district covers from St. Regis Falls east to the shores of Lake Champlain and from the border of Canada down to the center of the High Peaks Wilderness.

State Board of Elections Public Information Director Kathleen McGrath said Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days from when Jones actually resigns to proclaim a special election. This election must occur between 40 and 50 days of her proclamation. There will not be primary elections required, as in typical elections. The state’s constituted parties — Democrat, Republican, Conservative and Working Families Party — will select their nominees based on votes from the party chairs in the counties within the district — Clinton, Franklin and Essex counties.

“The exact procedures are not covered by Election Law, but rather by party rules,” McGrath said.

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Family and history

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Jones travels with his daughter Ella often. His social media posts are filled with photos of the two as he tours his district and the state on official business. Ella, 12, was born on the Fourth of July. Her middle name is Liberty.

“She’s traveled a lot with me, that’s for sure,” Jones said last month, at an event at Trudeau Institute.

Just a few months ago, his name was being floated as a potential candidate for the expected special election for the NY-21 congressional seat. He turned it down and that election never actually happened.

At the Trudeau Institute event, he said he had no desire to climb the political ladder.

“Why would you want to do that?” he asked. “They can have it.”

Jones worked on his family dairy farm and as a corrections officer at Bare Hill Correctional state prison in Malone before entering politics.

His past work in corrections has led to him getting support from law enforcement groups. Jones was vocal during the contentious month-long statewide corrections officer strike earlier this year.

He started as the mayor of Chateugay in 2009. The next year, he also became a Franklin County legislator. When he became the county chair in 2013, he resigned as mayor. He was elected to the Assembly in 2016.

He’s stayed mostly out of party politics, voting as a moderate, supporting conservative causes like keeping taxes down and law enforcement while supporting liberal social issues.

He sponsored the EMS Cost Recovery Act allowing volunteer fire departments to bill for the emergency medical services they provide, similar to volunteer ambulance services.

He wrote the Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act which created the ongoing Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force.

He formed and chairs the state legislature’s first Canada-New York Relations Task Force. Last fall, he made City & State’s Upstate Power 100 List at No. 56, calling him the “Assembly’s ambassador to Canada.”

“What can I say? In his nine years in the Assembly, Billy has been a true partner and a real contributing force to all of the North Country Chamber’s economic development strategies and initiatives,” North Country Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Garry Douglas said in a statement.

He said Jones’ “constant support” helped grow the region’s transportation equipment manufacturing cluster with businesses like bus manufacturer Micro Bird expanding into Plattsburgh.

Jones said he’s delivered tens of millions of dollars to the region.

Jones said it has been the honor of his life and his “greatest privilege” to serve the region. He said he’s most proud of his office’s constituent services — addressing the more issues, requests and assistance people within his district ask for.

He once answered a call from an Enterprise reporter on the Assembly floor, whispering that he would call back later after the session was finished.

Former Franklin County Legislator and Tupper Lake Mayor Paul Maroun served on the county board with both Jones and his father. Maroun recalls “babysitting” the young assemblyman-to-be on nights that Maroun would visit the family after board meetings for cocktails, and stay over because the roads were too icy.

Maroun has seen Jones grow up through his political career and called his departure “a loss to the North Country.”

Maroun was a Republican and Jones was a Democrat. But politics always came secondary to the needs of the county and Maroun said Jones saw past “red and blue.”

“That’s the kind of person we need more of in government,” Maroun said.

In his announcement, Jones said politics has become too divisive.

Maroun said Jones also listened to the concerns about the south end of the county in Tupper Lake as much as the issues in his hometown north end.

“He was a good legislator and a really good chairman,” Maroun said.

Maroun said he and Jones only really had one bad argument in their time in the legislature. He doesn’t remember what it was over anymore. They didn’t know if they would ever get over it. But a couple days later, they were touring a refurbished theater in Chateaugay during the Franklin County Fair and they sat next to each other, a hatchet-burying captured on film by the Malone Telegram.

When Jones entered state politics, Maroun said he became a solid connection to Albany for the North Country, building a long list of connections in state offices and agencies. Being in the majority Democratic party also helped.

Maroun said Jones is friends with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and brought him up to Tupper Lake several times.

“Over the last nine years, Assemblymember Billy Jones has been a tireless advocate for the North Country and great member of the New York State Assembly,” Heastie said in an statement to the Enterprise. “I wish him nothing but the best in all his future endeavors and know that he will be missed here in the People’s House.”

Douglas said Jones gave the region “a first ever relationship with Assembly leaders like the speaker.”

Jones’ official resignation is expected at the end of August. That letter is what will trigger the special election.