The Conyers election season has opened with the first challenger declaring his bid for the District 4 city council seat.

Dr. John Fountain, a dermatologist and Chairman of the Downtown Development Authority Board, announced that he intended to run for the city council seat, which is currently occupied by Councilman Marty Jones.

"The position has been filled admirably by Councilman Jones for many years," said Fountain in a statement. "Should he not fill the position this fall, it will be particularly important for the city at this time that his successor be able to offer a visible example of integrity, credibility and significant experience to the job."

Jones, who has held the seat for 23 years, said he has not decided whether or not he will run for reelection. The last time he had a challenger was in 1991.

“I have a passion for the city,” said Jones, but added there are other projects that he would like to give attention.

He added that redistricting could affect his decision, based on which candidates were running in his district.

Fountain said, when asked if he would still run if Jones decided to run for reelection, “I’m just planning to run.”  He said although people had contacted him and encouraged him to run earlier, he began seriously thinking of a bid for city council last year after Jones declared he was not running again at the State of the City address.

This would be Fountain’s first bid for elected office.

He is currently Chairman of the Rockdale County Board of Health, Chairman of the Downtown Development Authority, member of the advisory board for United Community Bank. He was the founding chairman of the Conyers MainStreet program, served on the Rockdale Recreation Commission, and was involved with developing the Olympic venue at the Georgia International Horse Park.

He said he felt the city council was generally going in the right direction but could improve its communication with the community. “There are a lot of things I don’t know or understand what they’re thinking or doing,” he said. “They may know, but the rest of us would like to hear about it too sometimes.”

Fountain said 10 years ago, he never would have thought of running for an elected seat. “I would have said ‘absolutely no way.’ But the world changes and the community needs change. I do love this place and I do have some unique experiences that could be beneficial.”

He cited his experience organizing a bank, being a small business owner, involvement with the Olympic venue, and his service in the community on many boards.

 “The last thing you want to do when you get to the end of your life is say gee I wish I had done this or done that.”

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(March 22, 3:14 p.m.) IN BRIEF: The Conyers election season has opened with the first challenger declaring his bid for the District 4 city council seat.

Dr. John Fountain, a dermatologist and member of the Downtown Development Authority Board, announced that he intended to run for the city council seat, which is currently occupied by Councilman Marty Jones.

Jones, who has held the seat for 23 years, said he has not decided whether or not he will run for reelection.

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