Jackie Brown, 43, one-time Jacksonville, Fl. mayoral candidate dies
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Jackie Brown, who caught the attention of Jacksonville and its
politicians by dressing as Aunt Jemima to protest city minority
contracting rules then ran for mayor to make a point about people she
believed were left behind, has died.
Ms. Brown, 43, died at noon Sunday of breast cancer.
Her death took many by surprise, though her son and some others knew
she was ill.
"My mom had a lot of pride," said Christopher Smith, 22, adding that
she was not the type to seek sympathy.
"She was a great mother," said Smith, a university student. "She was
always worried about my grades and me succeeding in life."
Ms. Brown came to politics on the issue of city contracting for
minorities. Earlier this year she told the Times-Union not enough city
business was going to minority contractors to make them successful.
She said the city was run by politically connected men helping one
another.
"What you saw was what you got," Smith said. "She wanted to stand up
for the future of our community and society."
Ms. Brown, who ran as a Democrat, lost a lopsided race for mayor to
incumbent Republican John Peyton this year.
Mayoral spokeswoman Susie Wiles said that while Ms. Brown challenged
the mayor on minority business issues, the political opponents were
cordial, even friendly off the campaign trail.
"She challenged the mayor at every opportunity to do more," Wiles
said. "Certainly she exhibited great strength, great courage in her
convictions."
Ms. Brown appeared at a November 2005 City Council meeting as Aunt
Jemima and was arrested after scrapping with a police officer after
the meeting. She was banned from attending council meetings for a
short time until a federal judge overturned the ban. She decided to
run for the mayor's office to ensure Peyton had a challenger who would
bring issues to the forefront.
"She was a person with a lot of vitality," said Travis Bridges,
chairman of the Duval County Democratic Party. "Even when the odds
were against her she felt if she did not stand forth those beliefs
would go unnoticed."
Bridges said he had not seen Ms. Brown since the election but said
there were hopes she would run for a City Council seat. At that time
he said he felt she was "setting a course for the future."
J.R. Gaillot, who managed her campaign for mayor, described Ms. Brown
as a private person who worked to better the lives of people around
her.
"If she had a conviction or a belief about something, she went all out
for it," he said.
Ms. Brown got her first experience in business as payroll manager for
her father's concrete contracting business, according to a biography
she used in her election campaign. She earned an associate's degree
from Florida Community College at Jacksonville and became a licensed
general contractor and underground utility contractor. Ms. Brown was
single.
Smith said funeral arrangements for his mother had not been made
Sunday.
By Dana Treen, The Times-Union