Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - 36

Georgians AT WORK By H.M. Cauley
Left: Speaker Jon Burns
presides over a session
of the Georgia House.
Below: Dayle and Jon
Burns and their family
are members of Millenbased
Planters Electric
Membership Corp.
Meet Speaker of the
House Jon Burns
A
s the 75th speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives,
Jon Burns of Newington is known for his political
prowess and drive to create change. He's held the
high-profile position for the last two years and hopes to be
tapped to continue in 2025.
Being the speaker is a far cry from his beginnings on a
family farm in Effingham County, where he still harvests timber
and raises crops and livestock. But those rural roots were
precisely what set him on the path to politics.
" I was active in the community with the Young Farmers
association and the Effingham Chamber of Commerce, " Burns
says. " That was my first foray into public life. From there, I was
elected to the Department of Transportation board. "
Being part of the state board that oversees the planning,
construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure,
from airports to bicycle paths, appealed to Burns, who grew up
hearing about rural roads from his dad, a county commissioner.
" Being a country boy, I've traveled a lot of dirt roads, " he
says. " Everywhere we went was at least a 15- to 20-minute drive.
I saw firsthand the benefits of paved roads-hard roads, as
country folks like to say. So when the chance to be part of the
board came up, I took it. "
In 2004, a redistricting opened a House seat that Burns won
to represent District 159, which encompasses Screven County
and parts of Effingham and Bulloch counties in Southeast
Georgia. He became the House majority leader and in
November 2022 took over the speaker's role after the death of
David Ralston.
As the House's chief administrative officer, Burns presides
36 Georgia Magazine September 2024
over the floor sessions, assigns bills to committees and calls for
debates.
" I help guide the ship, but I'm part of a team, " Burns says.
" I'm really following up on good ideas like mental health
services for all Georgians, which was a passion of David
Ralston's. We're also focused on the workforce because it is
critical to whatever we do. And now we have a real focus on
literacy and ensuring [that] all Georgia children can read by
third grade.
" I give credit to my wife, Dayle, a former educator, who
worked closely with legislators on that. She taught several grades
and was an elementary school principal, so she understands the
importance of reading. "
When he's not at the House podium, Burns is often back
home connecting with constituents to hear about their needs
and concerns. He also relishes time on his family's 900-acre
Centennial Farm, one of about 600 in Georgia that have been in
operation for more than 100 years. Burns' property was cleared
by his grandparents, who raised his father there, who then
raised Burns and his two brothers there. Today, it's home to his
five grandchildren.
" This job pretty much consumes your time, especially when
we're in session, " he says. " Whenever I can, I enjoy being at the
farm with my grandchildren. They're the reason we're here;
they're our future. That's why my focus is on making things
better for tomorrow. "
H.M. Cauley is a freelance writer from Atlanta.
COURTESY GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MEDIA SERVICES
Georgia Magazine - September 2024

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