Former Kennesaw mayor receives pension despite molestation conviction

Leonard Church, Kennesaw’s former two-term mayor and city council member, is receiving a monthly city pension payment for life, despite serving an 18-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of child molestation and sexual exploitation of children.

Church, who pleaded guilty to the charges last year, began receiving the pension payments in 2013, a year before his term on the Kennesaw City Council started. That means Church was receiving both the pension payments, thought to be about $600 a month, a his $1,000-per-month council salary while the charges hung over him for about 18 months.

Church continued to represent the city on the council after his arrest in June 2014, despite outrage voiced by many citizens.