Mother-Son Duo Double As City Of Phoenix Colleagues

Phoenix AZ

10 May, 2021

7:04 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Phoenix: May 9, 2021 It takes a matter of seconds sitting with Marchelle and Kennethy to feel the mutual respect, admiration, and joy between them. These two are colleagues within the City of Phoenix, they are good friends, and they are mother and son, too. "There have been a couple of times I'm trying to wave at him, and I have to remind myself, he's working, Marchelle! Don't distract him," Marchelle recalled of seeing her son working. "I see him and I'm like 'that's my baby!'" Marchelle raised Kennethy, and her older son Martin, while working her way up first in corporate America, and then turning to the public sector. She's been in roles from chief of staff for Mayor Phil Gordon, to the civilian equivalent of an assistant chief for Phoenix Police. For the past four years, she's been director of the city's Human Services Department. "Growing up, you know, my mother was a single mother to me and stuff, and I just always remember things that I wanted to do, things that I needed, she always found a way," Kennethy said. Kennethy, having seen his mom in public service roles for a good portion of his life, joined the Phoenix Police Department in 2017 as a police assistant. He works alongside the downtown operations officers. You can often find him on his bike! Like any mother would, Marchelle worries about her son, especially in this career, and especially over the past year, but, she says, she trusts the man she raised. "Some of that has to do with those couple of years I spent with the Phoenix Police Department," Marchelle explained. "I understand law enforcement maybe in a unique way that others may not. Also, recognize at the end of the day that he's black. And he's male. And so he's got a unique perspective that he brings to law enforcement that can help bridge some gaps." Though mom and son have never worked side by side, their worlds seem to always collide. If it's not crossing paths downtown during the work day, it's colleagues that reach out with stories. It seems Kennethy can't do much without it getting back to his mom. "Constantly, you know, my lieutenant's always having meetings with her," Kennethy explained. "He constantly tells me 'I talked to your mom today,'" "I get that as well, genuinely with people," Marchelle said. "It's great to know that when people mention, you know, 'oh that's your son, or is that your son,' it's always coming in a very positive light. That's really cool." Really cool, and really, the ultimate goal for any mother to see their child grow up and be a positive and productive member of society. Kennethy will tell you though, he's a product of where he came from, and he owes so much to mom. "I would say honestly thank you for being real," Kennethy said to his mom. "Because in our relationship, there's really no sugar coating. So it opens your eyes to what your mother's done for you...or what my mother has done for me. What sacrifices she's made to make sure I have had a good a life." This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author's own.