Derek Easterling

A Word From Mayor Derek Easterling

Hello, Kennesaw!

Welcome to March. Can you say spring? It is just around the corner and will arrive March 20 this year.

Also arriving this month is Touch-A-Truck on March 5 at Adams Park. Touch-A-Truck is an exciting and educational annual community event hosted by the city of Kennesaw’s parks and recreation, public works and police departments. Get up-close and personal with larger-than-life trucks, heavy construction and public safety equipment, cool cars and specialty vehicles. Meet vehicle owners and operators, and have a blast watching your kids touch, climb on, and interact during this awesome exhibition of transportation. Lots of vehicles will be on display, along with a variety of other children’s activities. Admission is free. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

The Southern Museum will celebrate the contributions of women throughout history in a special Women’s History Month Celebration on March 19. Educational activities will take place throughout the day.

Last month, I promised to highlight more of the State of the City address in future articles. Students from North Cobb, Harrison and Kennesaw Mountain high schools attended the annual address. When I started my mayoral journey, these students were in middle school. In a few short months, they will pursue their dreams of going to college, working in a profession or creating their own business, and we have created many opportunities for them to be successful here in the community they call home. No longer do our children have to leave home for greater opportunities.

Allow me to introduce some of the young folks from our area or who attended school here, who now work for the city of Kennesaw.

• Andrew Gasparini, a former North Cobb Magnet student, enjoyed a short stint at Clemson University, then returned home, where he serves as the assistant to the city manager. • Lea Alvarez began her career with the city as an intern. She is a Kennesaw State University (KSU) graduate with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and serves as the city clerk, and she has earned her Master Municipal Clerk certification. • James Friedrich is a Harrison High School graduate, who also graduated from KSU. He serves as the deputy city clerk, and started his MPA program classes at KSU last month. • Hannah Watson, a Michigan transplant, thanks to her dad’s job transfer to the area, is a KSU graduate and current MPA student at KSU. She serves as the finance clerk. • Becca Graham is from Woodstock, and graduated from Emmanuel College. She serves as the communications director for the city.

These young folks do an awesome job for you. The next time you see them, tell them how much you appreciate the job they are doing for our city.

I will share more highlights from the State of the City address with you next month. Thank you for being a part of our community.

Be blessed!

Derek Easterling has served as Kennesaw’s mayor since 2016. He is dedicated to serving his community to the highest level possible.