Jackie Clarkson - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson (born 1935) is the current president of the New Orleans City Council

New Orleans City Council

The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. There is one city council member for each of the five council districts, as well as two at-large council members. The council members are elected to four-year terms using the two-round...

and a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives

Louisiana House of Representatives

The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...

. Clarkson is also the mother of American actress Patricia Clarkson

Patricia Clarkson

Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...

Background

Clarkson represented District C on the New Orleans City Council from 1990 to 1994 and from 2002 to 2006, as well as District 102 at the Louisiana House of Representatives

Louisiana House of Representatives

. The boundaries of District 102 are roughly the same as the Algiers

Algiers, Louisiana

Algiers is a neighborhood within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish on the West Bank of the Mississippi River.Algiers is also known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.-History:...

neighborhood (also known as the Fifteenth Ward) in New Orleans. Those of District C include Algiers, as well as the Vieux Carré or French Quarter

French Quarter

The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...

neighborhood.

Before Hurricane Katrina

During her second tenure on the council, Clarkson advocated a cleaner and safer French Quarter and attempted to restore the Jackson Square

Jackson Square, New Orleans

Jackson Square, also known as Place d'Armes, is a historic park in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.-Design:...

Artists Colony, established by the Constitution of the 1920s. A number of her constituents were enthusiastic about her efforts, whereas others, especially street performers and tarot readers, were rather apprehensive. Others were alarmed of her proposal to eliminate public space in the name of safety.

After Hurricane Katrina

Clarkson ran for Councilmember at Large in 2006, but she lost in the general election

General election

In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...

, often called the runoff in Louisiana, against Arnie Fielkow

Arnie Fielkow

Arnie Fielkow is a Democratic politician from New Orleans. In November 2006, he won a seat on New Orleans's City Council as a Member at Large, and served as City Council President. He was reelected in 2010. In fall 2011, he announced his resignation...

, another Democrat and former Executive Vice President of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

's New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

. Mayor Ray Nagin

Ray Nagin

Clarence Ray Nagin, Jr. is a former mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Nagin gained international note in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the New Orleans area....

won re-election only after facing a much tougher challenge than expected before the hurricane, and half of the council members who ran again were defeated.

The resignation of Councilmember at Large Oliver Thomas

Oliver Thomas

For the Texas businessman and World War II POW, see Oliver C. Thomas.Oliver M. Thomas, Jr. , is a Democratic politician from New Orleans. He served on the New Orleans City Council from 1994 to 2007...

in 2007 over bribery charges enabled Clarkson to return on New Orleans City Council. She was elected to her first term as Councilmember-at-Large in a special election in November 2007, defeating Cynthia Willard-Lewis.

Clarkson in 2008 and 2009 became particularly outspoken in defending likeminded councilwoman Stacy Head

Stacy Head

Stacy Aline Singleton Head is a member of the New Orleans City Council.-Early Life and Career:Stacy Head was born in 1969 as the daughter of Katherine Hamberlin Singleton and Ernest Lynn Singleton. She grew up in Greensburg, Saint Helena Parish, Louisiana...

in a feud with city sanitation director Veronica White

Veronica White

Veronica Toussaint White—born 1963 in Louisiana—is Director of Sanitation for the City of New Orleans, having held that position under appointment by mayor Ray Nagin since 2003. She received her pink slip from mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu on April 22, 2010....

. Clarkson called for White's dismissal, but Nagin defended White.

Clarkson was re-elected as Councilmember at Large in February 2010 (again narrowly defeating Cynthia Willard-Lewis), and was named president of the council in May 2011.

Election history

Although a lifelong Democrat, Clarkson has been able to boast support from Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

organizations including the Parish Executive Committee of the Orleans Parish Republican Party

Republican Party of Louisiana

The Republican Party of Louisiana is the U.S. state of Louisiana's organization of the national Republican Party. The state chairman is Roger F. Villere, Jr., a businessman from Metairie in Jefferson Parish....

. In 2008 she broke party ranks and supported Republican challenger Anh "Joseph" Cao

Joseph Cao

Anh "Joseph" Quang Cao is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. In April 2011, he announced he will be a candidate for Attorney General of Louisiana in 2011, however in September 2011 he pulled out of the race.He was the first...

in his longshot but successful bid to unseat Democratic incumbent William J. Jefferson

William J. Jefferson

William Jennings "Bill" Jefferson is a former American politician, and a published author from the U.S. state of Louisiana. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for nine terms from 1991 to 2009 as a member of the Democratic Party. He represented , which includes much of the...

from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans , and some of its suburbs, including the West Bank portion of Jefferson Parish and South South Kenner.The district is currently represented...

seat. Likeminded fellow Democratic Councilwoman Stacy Head found herself soon facing a recall petition. Clarkson, however, was not subjected to a recall effort; as councilwoman-at-large she represents a broader constituency, and she is more ingrained into the New Orleans political scene. In May 2009, as the New Orleans e-mail controversies intensified, Clarkson began publishing thousands of her e-mail messages online:

Anything we don't want the public to see, we shouldn't put in an e-mail. . . . Just let us do it responsibly so private information about our constituents doesn't get out there.

Councilmember, District C, 1994

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, February 5, 1994

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Troy Carter Troy Carter (politician) Troy Anthony "C" Carter is a former member of the New Orleans City Council.In 1994 he was elected to represent District C on the Council, becoming the first African-American to represent that area of the Council since Reconstruction. He served until 2002, when he unsuccessfully sought the office...	Democratic	13,355 (50%)	Elected
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	13,331 (50%)	Defeated

State Representative, 102nd Representative District, 1994

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 1, 1994

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	4,018 (49%)	Runoff
Yvonne Mitchell-Grubb	Democratic	2,504 (31%)	Runoff
Others	n.a.	1,667 (20%)	Defeated

Second Ballot, November 8, 1994

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	4,965 (55%)	Elected
Yvonne Mitchell-Grubb	Democratic	3,984 (45%)	Defeated

State Representative, 102nd Representative District, 1995

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 21, 1995

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	4,691 (45%)	Runoff
Ron Guidry Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...	Democratic	3,952 (38%)	Runoff
Others	n.a.	1,685 (17%)	Defeated

Second Ballot, November 18, 1995

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	6,040 (51%)	Elected
Ron Guidry Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...	Democratic	5,829 (49%)	Defeated

State Representative, 102nd Representative District, 1999

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 23, 1999

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	5,520 (62%)	Elected
Kenneth Garrett	Democratic	1,453 (16%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	1,888 (22%)	Defeated

Councilmember, District C, 2002

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, February 2, 2002

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	11,961 (53%)	Elected
Catherine Smith Catherine Smith Catherine Smith was an English novelist and actress, best known for her Gothic fiction. Almost all that is known of her is that she came from a wealthy family, and had acted at the Haymarket Theatre in London.-Novels:...	Democratic	3,783 (17%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	7,013 (30%)	Defeated

Councilmember(s) at Large (2), 2006

Threshold > 25%

First Ballot, April 22, 2006

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Oliver Thomas Oliver Thomas For the Texas businessman and World War II POW, see Oliver C. Thomas.Oliver M. Thomas, Jr. , is a Democratic politician from New Orleans. He served on the New Orleans City Council from 1994 to 2007...	Democratic	66,374 (39%)	Elected
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	36,839 (22%)	Runoff
Arnie Fielkow Arnie Fielkow Arnie Fielkow is a Democratic politician from New Orleans. In November 2006, he won a seat on New Orleans's City Council as a Member at Large, and served as City Council President. He was reelected in 2010. In fall 2011, he announced his resignation...	Democratic	31,092 (18%)	Runoff
Others	n.a.	35,060 (21%)	Defeated

Second Ballot, May 20, 2006

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Arnie Fielkow Arnie Fielkow Arnie Fielkow is a Democratic politician from New Orleans. In November 2006, he won a seat on New Orleans's City Council as a Member at Large, and served as City Council President. He was reelected in 2010. In fall 2011, he announced his resignation...	Democratic	61,420 (56%)	Elected
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	47,324 (44%)	Defeated

Councilmember at Large, 2007

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 20, 2007

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Cynthia Willard-Lewis Cynthia Willard-Lewis Cynthia W. Willard-Lewis is a Democratic Party member of the Louisiana State Senate, being elected from District 2 in an October 2, 2010 special election to replace Ann Duplesis, who resigned to take a position in Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration....	Democratic	20,623 (28%)	Runoff
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	15,766 (21%)	Runoff
Virginia Boulet	Democratic	14,620 (20%)	Defeated
Diana Bajoie	Democratic	7,816 (11%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	14,802 (20%)	Defeated

First Ballot, November 17, 2007

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Jackie Clarkson	Democratic	27,740 (53%)	Elected
Cynthia Willard-Lewis Cynthia Willard-Lewis Cynthia W. Willard-Lewis is a Democratic Party member of the Louisiana State Senate, being elected from District 2 in an October 2, 2010 special election to replace Ann Duplesis, who resigned to take a position in Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration....	Democratic	24,874 (47%)	Defeated

External links

Clarkson campaign website : http://www.jackieclarkson.org/ JackieClarkson.org
Oral History Interview with Jacquelyn Clarkson from Oral Histories of the American South
City of New Orleans : http://www.cityofno.com/
Louisiana Secretary of State : http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/
New Orleans Times-Picayune : http://www.nola.com/weblogs/bourbon/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_bstdiaries/archives/2003_05.html

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Background

Before Hurricane Katrina

After Hurricane Katrina

Election history

See also

External links