Palacio Podcast
Carl Kemp: Falling and Getting Back Up. A Story of Renewal.
Carl Kemp of Long Beach knows a lot of people and a thing or two about getting things done. In the time that we’ve known him, we’ve witnessed his meteoric rise through public service and the private sector. Carl Kemp was not afraid to take on life challenges: whether it was in City Hall, the Port of Long Beach or to run for the City Council seat in the fifth district or to startup his own lobbying and consulting firm. Our view of him was of a man who knew how to navigate both friendly and treacherous waters. Carl Kemp was a go-to man.
All that ended abruptly in 2016 when he pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return and failing to report over $750,000 in income. Kemp would go on to serve nearly a year in prison and time in a halfway house.
Falling from so high a reputation is not the point of this article. It is the getting back up: the process of making amends to yourself, your family and friends, and then going about the business of renewal. In an interview with PalacioMagazine.com, Carl Kemp described his path from a home with a mother who taught him how to be strong through the college years where he learned the importance of confidence and leadership. All those lessons have proven to be a critical foundation for renewal in these days of his life. So have his family and friends.
More on Carl Kemp
Kemp attended California State University, Long Beach where he graduated first with a degree in Black Studies and then later a Master of Public Policy and Administration. He is presently a candidate for a PhD in American Politics.
Carl Kemp’s public service include as a Long Beach City Councilman’s legislative assistant, working for the City Manager, the Port of Long Beach, and a stint for the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington, D.C.
Kemp has also had a run through the private sector consulting on public affairs, government relations, and communications strategies. He founded his own firm, The Kemp Group, where he continued to focus on government and public affairs along with community and media relations.
