Josh Jones, 39, was sworn in this week to serve on the Fort Scott City Commission, replacing Jolynne Mitchel, who resigned.

Jones was born and raised in Fort Scott and has several businesses in the community.

Jones believes it’s a cumulation of life lessons learned that give him the experience and qualities to serve on the commission.

“I have made many mistakes in life but find a way to learn and grow with each mistake,” Jones said. ” My favorite quote is ‘Show me a man who never made a mistake and I will show you one who never tried anything.’”

“We have to understand we will make mistakes but how you learn and grow from those mistakes is what we need to focus on,” he said.

“I have always told my children if you want to come to me to complain about something, then you better follow it up with a solution to try,” he said.  “I feel like Fort Scott is in a period where we need some new ideas to continue to move forward and I felt like I wanted to help any way I could and felt like being a commissioner was a good way to bring solutions or ideas to concerns I had.”

“My duty as a commissioner is to serve the citizens of Fort Scott the best way I think is possible,” Jones said.  “Every decision we make comes back to one thing. Citizens.”

Jones said he has ideas about the future of Fort Scott.

“However I am one of five commissioners and I feel like it’s not about my ideas but rather about the ideas of the five of us as a whole,” he said. “I look forward to getting into the mentality that the five of us are a team and the new things on the horizons will be a collaborative effort from all of us.”