OCEANSIDE -- Amid all the attention garnered by the November election, one bit of information escaped most people's notice. Rosemary Jones was re-elected to her fifth term as city treasurer.

That might not seem especially worthy of note, except for one thing: Jones is 88 years young, putting her among the most chronologically gifted of elected officials in the state and even the nation.

Jones said she doesn't have a definitive answer why she ran for another four-year term as treasurer.

"If you find out, let me know," joked the beautifully coiffed, white-haired Jones during a recent visit to her office at Oceanside City Hall. "My brain doesn't want to give up. My body does, but I just need to be mentally active to maintain my place on Earth."

An answer to why she remains on the job might come out of her long record of service to the community. Well before her election to the city post in 1992, Jones was a familiar figure as a leader and participant in numerous service groups in the community.

Organizations for which she has volunteered include Hospice of North Coast, Oceanside Civitan, the Boys & Girls Club of Oceanside, San Luis Rey Rotary, the Oceanside Historical Society and Oceanside Republican Women Federated. She has served as president or a board member for most of those.

Her contributions sometimes included baking "her famous rich, chewy, to-die-for chocolate brownies," as described in a January 2002 North County Times article.

Jones chuckles at the memory and reveals her secret.

"I used to do that with the Hospice of North Coast. I used to take those for dessert," she said. "If you know me well enough, you know they came out of a box. I added nuts and frosting."

She does plenty more than bake brownies, according to her friend Mary Lou Elliott, who has worked with Jones in several of those service groups.

"She's always eager to help, that's for sure. She was president of hospice three different times, in Civitan and now in Rotary," said Elliott. "She's a strong person. She's a very strong leader in the associations I've had with her."

Her willingness to take a stand helped save the city of Oceanside from a huge loss in its investment portfolio in 1999. Jones refused to sign papers that would have granted officials from Los Angeles-based Alamin Inc. power of attorney over $100 million from the portfolio.

Alamin officials had promised the city returns of 130 percent a month. Officials agreed to pay a $10,000 fine, though, after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint accusing the company of engaging in securities fraud and offering unlicensed securities in a proposal presented to Oceanside and about 50 other cities.

Jones plays down her role in stopping the deal, indicating that anyone in her situation would have done the same thing.

"We knew right from the beginning (it was a scam). We all knew it was phony as heck," she said. "You can't say 'I'm going to take $100 million, invest it for three months and more than triple it.' "

Holding public office wasn't a likely destination for Jones, who after graduating from Alhambra Business College spent most of her professional life doing books and receipts for various accountants. Her only political involvements were working on Richard Nixon's 1960 presidential campaign and participating with a group that led the incorporation efforts of Temple City.

After moving to Oceanside in 1973 with her husband, Don, Jones did some oil painting, world traveling and worked as a part-time bookkeeper for Krisjon Woodcraft. When her husband died suddenly of a heart attack in 1976, Jones found herself needing to re-evaluate her life.

"I decided three months after he died that I had to make a life for myself. I got involved in business and professional clubs, the chamber (of commerce) and pretty much everything in town," she said. "For a while, I was so busy I would meet myself coming and going."

Her friend Irene Duehren, the incumbent city treasurer, encouraged Jones to run for the office in 1992 after deciding not to run for re-election. Jones squeaked to victory in a three-candidate race, and has won re-election in four straight races.

The fifth term will be her last, said Jones, who supervises a two-person staff and enjoys the contact with people at City Hall and around the community.

"It's nice to walk down the hall and have people say 'How are You?' 'Nice to see you,' " she said moments after getting a hug from a colleague in the hallway.

Her age should present no challenges to her keeping a sharp eye on the city finances, said her friend Mary Lou Elliott.

"Her body may be 80-something years old, but her mind is not. She's sharp. She can run circles around people a lot younger than she is," Elliott said. "Our doctor said when she grows up, she wants to be like Rosemary."

If you have a suggestion for someone who would make a good Neighbors story, contact staff writer Jeff Frank at (760) 740-5419 or jfrank@nctimes.com.