Mayors and macchiatos: State representative holds caffeinated meet and greet

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Need to speak to the Mayor? Going to a city council meeting may be intimidating, and calling their office could wind you up with their secretary. What if you could sit down with them over a cup of coffee?

State Representative Shaw Blackmon made that possible last weekend at what he called “Coffee and Conversation.”

Blackmon held the event at Decadent Dessert Bar in Warner Robins on Saturday morning. At the event, interested community members could enjoy a cup of brew and converse with a combination of the local and state officials who represent them.

Mayor LaRhonda Patrick, Centerville Mayor John Harley, State Senator Larry Walker as well as Blackmon and his family attended the event.

The event was a valuable opportunity to meet informally with officials, bring light to concerns and get to know them personally. Summarizing the event with The Journal, Blackmon felt that it was an opportunity for the public to make their voices heard.

“It’s being available to listen, to answer questions, whatever might be on anybody’s mind,” Blackmon said.

Blackmon has held meet-and-greet events since his election to office. He felt that with multiple officials showing up from around the county, a coffee shop in Warner Robins would be the perfect central location to host, leading him to choose Decadent Dessert Bar as the venue.

Blackmon saw the diversity of the officials brought in as a good representation of the community at large and what issues affect them.

“A lot of the time people don’t know if an issue that they want to talk about is the responsibility of a local official or a state official, so it helps to have all of us there,” Blackmon said. “If it’s more of a state [issue,] then [state representatives] can be more engaged, and if it’s local, then the Mayor is there.”

Blackmon felt that the event went well on Saturday. It spanned for a couple of hours in the morning, providing multiple opportunities for those who dropped by a chance to talk quickly with officials and continue their day.

One of those people was Cassandra Jones. Jones had seen the event on Facebook and stopped by to check in.

Jones said she feels it is important to be involved in the community and supportive of events like “Coffee and Conversation.” She had not been to an event like this and was unsure of how it would go but said she was glad to have met the officials that attended.

“I really appreciated the open format,” Jones said. “It’s always nice to shake the hand of the leaders of our community and have a casual conversation with them.”

Jones also appreciated getting to know them personally and seeing a glimpse of who they are outside of the office.

“Seeing Shaw Blackmon interacting with his children and his wife was awesome,” Jones said. “You hear about him all the time, but to see him being a husband and dad makes him a bit more relatable.”

Blackmon enjoyed having his family there and wanted them to have a great time.

“I told my wife ‘you like great coffee, and the kids would like a muffin or a slice of cake, so why don’t you all come on by?’” Blackmon said.

Jones said she believed the community should come by as well.

“I think everyone, especially younger people in our city need to be more active, and I think this is a good way to dip your toe into the political scene,” Jones said.

If you missed this event, do not fret. Blackmon said he plans on making these events a regular occasion. If you are interested in attending an event like this, Blackmon encourages you to reach out to him via email: shaw.blackmon@house.ga.gov or by his office phone number at (404) 656-5103.

HHJ News