State party leader will visit

The state chairwoman of Georgia's Democratic Party is coming to Harlem on Monday to help raise money for Columbia County's local party.

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Former state Rep. Jane Kidd will be the guest speaker at a spaghetti dinner at 7 p.m. at Harlem United Methodist Church. She served as state representative from 2004-06.

"I love Columbia County," Kidd said. "I am really excited about being there; we'll have a lot to talk about. It is a very important county in Georgia, and the people there are very active politically. This will give everyone an opportunity to get involved and keep the areas in which they live nice, and with a good government. This is an exciting time for people interested in politics."

Kidd said some of the main topics planned for the evening are the grassroots efforts in Georgia to build and reinforce the local infrastructure, efforts to elect Democrats and other major issues of the day.

"I am really looking forward to it," she added.

Rosemary Fitzpatrick, the chairwoman of the county Democratic Party, said another topic Kidd will address will be the need for increased funding in Georgia for social programs.

"Democrats like to know what's going on in their state," Fitzpatrick said. "There has been no increase in funding here in over eight years, including in the area of day care for working and single (parents) where it is so badly needed. Jane and I have talked about working on increasing the funds sent our way. We are planning to make this fundraiser an annual event."

Fitzpatrick said the evening won't be all business and politics, as a surprise is planned.

"We are going to roast one of our senior members," she said, "and Jane will be assisting us there as well."

The church is at 115 Milledgeville Road, in Harlem.

The deadline for reservations is Thursday, and tickets for the dinner cost $8 for adults and $5 for children. For information, call Rosemary Fitzpatrick at (706) 231-1513.