James July-August 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 75
James Publisher Phil Kent, with Lt.
State Rep. Jesse Petrea receives a
Phil Kent presents a 2025 “Exceptional State Sen. Greg Dolezal is presented
Gov. Burt Jones, present the 2025
2025 “Exceptional State Lawmaker of State Lawmaker of the Year” award to with his 2025 “Exceptional State Law“Georgian of the Year” award to
the Year” award from Phil Kent.
state Rep. Patty Stinson.
maker of the Year” award by Phil Kent.
Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.
T
he Hank Aaron Terrace
at The Battery Atlanta’s
Truist Park was the venue on the evening of May
27th for the annual James
Magazine “Influential Georgians”
reception. Approximately 100 attendees— ranging from various state and
local elected officials to prominent
business, political, judicial and cultural leaders-- were welcomed by James
CEO/Publisher Phil Kent.
Kent presented the James 2025
“Georgian of the Year” award to
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Commissioner Tyler Harper, who he
called “a highly respected manager
with an outstanding work ethic who
oversees Georgia’s No. 1 industry. He
ensures Georgia’s food supply chain
stays intact and that our food supply
is safe.” Lt. Gov. Burt Jones assisted in presenting Harper his award,
recalling their friendship and service
together in the state Senate and calling him “highly qualified and particularly deserving of the high honor to
be named James Magazine’s Georgian of the Year.”
Three 2025 “Exceptional State
Lawmaker of the Year” awards were
also bestowed by Kent. One recip-
ient was state Sen. Greg Dolezal,
R-Cumming, elected in 2028 and
who he praised for “his work serving
on a wide range of important committees including chair of the Senate
Transportation Committee.” Kent
emphasized that Dolezal is known
for exceptional constituent service,
typified by having recently helped
keep several state parks open after
a sudden announcement by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers that they
would be closed.
The second honoree was state
Rep. Patty Stinson, D-Butler, who
Kent noted served on the Taylor
County Commission before winning
a House District 139 seat, which she
represented from 2013 to 2023, and
who now represents House District
150. “This well-respected lawmaker
has worked across party lines to craft
policy issues ranging from tax relief to
education to healthcare,” Kent said. A
special guest— former longtime Rep.
Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus— assisted
in presenting Stinson her award.
A third honoree was state Rep.
Jesse Petrea, R- Savannah, first elected in 2014 and who Kent noted is “a
business entrepreneur who serves on
the Appropriations Committee and
is passionate about many issues.” He
said Petrea especially “led the effort
to ensure Georgia law enforcement
cooperates with ICE (Immigration
Customs Enforcement) to remove
criminal illegal aliens, pushed to exempt military retirement income from
the state income tax and is one who
protects the Georgia coastline.”
A special guest was James’ 2024
“Georgian of the Year” Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry.
Other attendees included prominent
Georgia CEOs and businesspeople,
various judges, lawyers and mayors,
Republican and Democrat activists,
high-powered lobbyists of government affairs firms and several political candidates.
The event’s main sponsor was the
Atlanta-based Hall Booth Smith law
firm, whose chairman John Hall has
just had his second high stakes legal
thriller novel published. He writes
under the name “Everette Hall,” and
attendees left with complimentary
copies of his Murder at the Yacht Club
set in 1970s Georgia. Event co-sponsors were The Coca-Cola Company,
the Georgia Crown Distributing Company and Georgia Power.
J U LY /AU GUST 2025
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