JASPER COUNTY – The Joint Development Authority (JDA) will see a new member join the board soon, but it is not to replace the suspended Newton County representative Marcello Banes.

The new member comes 30 miles away from Newton County over in Jasper County, where the Jasper County Board of Commissioners appointed Bruce Henry to serve on the multi-county board for the next four years.

Henry is the District 2 representative and chairman of the Jasper County Board of Commissioners and has served on the board since 2011. He will succeed Don Jernigan, former chairman of the Jasper County commission and District 3 representative, who lost his bid for re-election in May.

It is not yet clear when Henry will take his spot on the board. His term will last until Jan. 1, 2027.

Henry will represent Jasper County alongside citizen appointee Steve Jordan. Morgan County representatives will continue to be commissioner Ben Riden and representative Bob Hughes while Walton County will be represented by chairman David Thompson and representative Mike Owens.

There are still questions regarding who will take the second representative spot for Newton County.

Citizen representative and JDA chair Jerry Silvio is expected to continue his role as citizen representative, but there is a hole on the board for Newton County.

The long-time representative Banes was suspended from his county office on Aug. 1 after a review commission – which coincidentally contained Henry – recommended to Governor Brian Kemp that he be indefinitely suspended due to his indictment by a federal grand jury on money laundering charges.

Banes was later deemed “ineligible” to serve on the JDA, and later suspended on Aug. 20.

The suspended chairman’s term lasts until March 2025, though Newton County municipal code outlines that if a replacement is not determined by the end of the term, then the appointed member can continue serving until an appointment is made.

It is expected at some point an appointment will be made, albeit for a partial term or a full term.

Candidates that could become JDA representatives for Newton County include new interim chairman Lanier Sims and district commissioners Demond Mason or J.C. Henderson. Vice-chair Stan Edwards may possibly be an option, too, if he wins his re-election in November.

It is unlikely that Alana Sanders nor Ronnie Cowan will be appointed to the JDA, as both are set to leave office in January.

The JDA comprising Jasper, Newton, Morgan and Walton counties was formed in 1999 and oversees the majority of the Stanton Springs industrial property containing companies like Takeda and Meta. Electric vehicle company Rivian will also be joining the mixed-use development in the future as well.

Members meet once a month and vote on issues pertaining to the four-county board.