Susan Holmes in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Susan Holmes in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Credit: Georgia House of Representatives

It’s almost midnight on Wednesday; I am outlining a blog to submit Thursday afternoon for Georgia Public Broadcasting. 

After an evening of viewing CNN, Fox, MSNBC, my head hurts. So many self-promoting U.S. senators, U.S. House members, judges, reporters and anchors. 

So much aggrandizing, so many words. 

It made me think about a conversation from a few weeks ago with Dr. Raphael Bostic, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta while birdwatching. 

We were chatting about real change in communities, involving small politics: local, not national or federal, but city council, county commissioners, and mayors. 

I stumbled upon an obit about a local politician from rural Southeast Georgia. 

This is a death notice not getting a lot of attention around metro Atlanta. 

82-year-old Susan Holmes died in Monticello hospice care after a dedicated life of public service. 

She served 13 years as a Georgia state representative for Jasper, portions of Butts, Jones, and Monroe counties, exiting in 2023. 

For 12 years, as the first female mayor of Monticello (1988-2010). Monticello is where the famous court scene of My Cousin Vinny was filmed.   

According to Macon powerhouse television station WMAZ, “Ms. Holmes was a postmaster, a teacher at both public and private schools, a real estate agent, a legal assistant and a CFO.”

She was “an honor student at Monticello High School, graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in business education. She would return to the university’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government where 144 credits in administration and leadership would be earned later in life.” 

According to her obituary, “Ms. Holmes found political common ground with Monticello’s majority African American city council, and as a result, documented growth for the town through action, and not just promises, numerous awards, including one of the 10 Better Hometown Cities in Georgia along with one of the first five Cities of Excellence and a City of Ethics.”

The journey of her life in Monticello reads like a “how to” guide of public service.

Ms. Holmes volunteered with many nonprofits and boards, including Griffin Technical College, Piedmont Academy, Jasper Memorial Hospital, the Jasper County Zoning Board, the Jasper County Library Board, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Georgia College and State Board. She served 11 years on the Jasper County Board of Health, where she wielded power as chair. There were also the years as president of the Georgia Municipal Association, representing 600 Georgia cities, and the time spent on the board of the Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center.

Having grown up in a cotton farm in Farrar, Ga., Susan Holmes knew agriculture. She was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the state executive director of the Farm Service Agency for Georgia. The agency manages farm commodities, credit, conservation and loan programs in its 84 offices across the state. 

“During her time in the legislature, Ms. Holmes served as Vice Chairman of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee.” 

“Former Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed her to the Rural Development Council as vice chair and then to the Georgia Workforce Development Council.” 

“She is survived by her husband of five decades, Paul Holmes, children and grandchildren. They were members of the Monticello Presbyterian Church.”

Praise echoed after her obituary was posted on LinkedIn.

“A special leader, full of energy and optimism,” said former Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens. 

“No better friend & representative has Georgia ever had,” offered Augusta’s Kay Floyd, principal of Floyd Healthcare Consulting. 

“If you knew her, you loved her,” wrote Donovan Head, executive director of the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia. 

An extraordinary life of impact and public service to the state. Lives better because of her work and passion. 

I never knew Susan Holmes, never interviewed her, but I bet that Susan Holmes never appeared on CNN, Fox or MSNBC.

Good for her, and the people in rural Georgia she served for decades. Actions beat words every time.