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MONROE COUNTY
Community
Calendar
Calendar items run free
of charge as a community
service each week as space
allows. Mail items for the
Community Calendar to
Diane Glidewell at news@
mymcr.net by 8 a.m. on
Monday.
DESTINATION
October 5, 2022
Reporter
IB
Bolingbroke
John F. Kennedy is Bolingbroke's state senator
Oct. 5
Tri Not to Get Wet Tri
athlon
The last day to register for the
High Falls Tri Not to Get Wet
Triathlon is Oct. 5; there will
be no race day registration.
The Triathlon, sponsored by
the Friends of High Falls State
Park, will be Saturday Oct. 8
at 8 a.m.. It will be a three-
mile run, 12-mile bike ride and
a 1.5 mile kayak paddle to
reach the finish line. The event
benefits High Falls State Park.
Sign up at ultrasignup.com/
register.aspx?eid= 15162
Oct. 7-9, Oct. 14-16
'Nightfall with Edgar Al
lan Poe’ is at The Rose
The Backlot Players will pres
ent “Nightfall with Edgar Allan
Poe” at The Rose Theater on
the sguare on Fridays and
Saturdays, Oct. 8-9 and Oct.
1 4-15 at 7:30 p.m. and on
Sundays Oct. 9 and Oct. 16
at 2:30 p.m. The approach of
Halloween is the perfect time
to visit the macabre world of
Poe in this play by Eric Cable
directed by Matt Robichaux.
Come experience four works
often considered Poe’s best.
Tickets are available at Tickets
to the City or at the box office
two hours before perfor
mances.
Oct. 8
Archaeology Day
Ocmulgee Archaeological So
ciety and Butts County Histori
cal Society will host the 15th
Annual Seven Islands Archae
ology Day at Indian Springs
Hotel/Museum, 1 807 Highway
42 S, Flovilla on Saturday,
Oct. 8 from 1 2 noon-4 p.m.
As well as experts on hand
to identify your personal ar
cheological finds, there will be
Native American crafts tables,
pottery making, demonstrations
of primitive skills and tours of
the Indian Springs Hotel/Mu
seum. Admission is free.
Oct. 10
Anchor of Hope
Golf Tournament
The Anchor of Hope Golf
Tournament will be Monday,
See CALENDAR
Page 4B
Pictured are Senator John F. Kennedy, wife Susan, son Will, daughter Katherine, and dogs
Charlie and Willa.
By Sloan Oliver
sloanoliver@earthlink.net
lmost everybody knows
who the president is,
most know who the
governor is, fewer know
the mayor or their county com
missioner, and even fewer know
their state representa
tive or their state sena
tor. That’s unfortunate
because our local elected
officials have greater daily
impact and influence
than the hob-knobbing,
big wigs in Washing
ton. I hope to change
that by informing
Monroe County
about Bolingbroke’s own Senator
John F. Kennedy (R-18th Dis
trict) and his family - wife Susan,
daughter Katherine, and son Will.
Oh, and golden retrievers - Char
lie and Willa.
I’m always interested in the
journey that someone travels to
arrive at their current location
in life, and so it is with Kennedy.
This being an election year, and
he being up for re-election, there’s
no better time to know our sena
tor than right now. Fortunately,
Kennedy had time to meet, where
I asked him that exact question:
How did you (and your family)
get to where you are today? Such
an open ended question always
leads to more questions and fur
ther discussions in which you find
you never have enough time.
Senator Kennedy is from the
small town of Adrian in Emanuel
and Johnson counties (the county
line rims through the middle of
town), near Dublin. After high
school, he went to Mercer Uni
versity where he graduated with
an economics degree and grades
good enough to get into law
school - at Mercer. He graduated
from law school in 1990 but, more
importantly, he met Susan, his
future wife, while studying law.
Interestingly, Kennedy learned to
fly and earned his pilot’s license
while in school. OTOH, Susan
was born and raised in Macon,
attended Stratford
Academy, and
then attended
Mercer.
Following law
school Kennedy
took a position
with an Atlanta
law firm but his
heart (and
love) re
mained in
Macon. He
and Susan
married in
1993, and
lived
for a
while
in
Atlanta. Then,
in 1995, Macon
called them back.
Given the choice
of living in At
lanta or Macon,
they made the
right call - smaller town, and bet
ter environment to raise a family.
Katherine was born in 1996 and
Will followed two years later.
Katherine is finishing her studies
to be a PA (physician’s assistant)
and Will is a senior at Mercer. The
Kennedys currently live in south
Bolingbroke, close to the county
line.
As I talked to Kennedy, it be
came apparent that church and
a religious community are very
important to him and his family.
Initially, they attended a Method
ist Church (Susan was raised a
Methodist) but as the children
got older, they moved to Ingleside
Baptist largely because Ingleside
has an excellent youth program.
All the while, Kennedy continued
to practice law mostly business
and civil litigation.
I asked him how he got involved
in politics - did he seek it out or
did people seek him out? It was
the latter. In 2013 some of the
GOP leadership asked John to rim
for state senator. Initially he was
reluctant but they asked again. He
sought counsel from his family,
his law partners, and his pastor;
they all thought he was a good
fit for elected office. Then, on a
Boy Scout trip to Philmont, New
Mexico, away from distractions,
he had time to think hard about
politics. Upon return to Georgia,
he told the GOP that he’d run for
senator. As they say, the rest is
history. He won that 2014 elec
tion and has represented the 18th
District ever since.
There are 56 senate districts in
Georgia; each broken down based
on population that changes with
each census. The 18th District
consists of all of Monroe, Upson,
Crawford, and Peach counties,
and parts of Bibb and Houston
counties. Kennedy’s district is var
ied and diverse with small towns,
larger cities, agricultural areas,
industrial and Robins AFB. The
district has 191,825 residents.
A question I asked the senator
was based on Hurricane Ian and
its destruction across Florida: As
an elected representative, what
can you do to facilitate emergency
services during a natural disas
ter? He said that one of the most
fulfilling parts of his elected job is
connecting constituents with
state agencies that are able to
provide the resources they need.
As Ian approached, he received
communications from the EMCs
informing him of storm prepara
tions. Asked if elected office is
what he thought it would be, Ken
nedy said it pretty much is except
for one area - the opportunities
to serve his constituents are more
varied than he anticipated. Those
opportunities to help are what give
him job satisfaction and make
elected office rewarding.
Two final questions I asked - Do
you have further political goals
to which Kennedy responded
that he’s focused on this election,
supporting Governor Kemp,
and serving for this next term.
He’s been a part of the senate
Republican leadership since first
elected back in 2014 and hopes to
continue having that “seat at the
table.”
That answer blended in with
my final question about political
mentors who have helped him
up in Atlanta. Kennedy named
Gov. Nathan Deal as his politi
cal mentor. Shortly after his 2014
election, even before he was sworn
See BOLINGBROKE . Page 2B
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