Jackie Clarkson

Jackie Clarkson
Jackie Clarkson, 2012
Member of the New Orleans City Council
In office 2007–2014
Preceded by	Michael C. Darnell (interim)
Succeeded by	Jason Williams
Constituency	At-large (division 2)
In office 2002–2006
Preceded by	Troy Carter
Succeeded by	James Carter
Constituency	District C
In office 1990–1994
Preceded by	Mike Early
Succeeded by	Troy Carter
Constituency	District C
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 102nd district
In office 1994–2002
Preceded by	Troy Carter
Succeeded by	Jeff Arnold
Personal details
Born	Jacquelyn Brechtel (1936-01-17) January 17, 1936 (age 85) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Arthur Clarkson
Children	5, including Patricia

Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson (born January 17, 1936)^[1] is an American politician who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002, and multiple tenures on the New Orleans City Council (1990–94, 2002–06, 2007–2013). She has been Honorary consul of Lithuania in New Orleans since December 2014.^[2] She is the mother of actress Patricia Clarkson.

Background[]

Clarkson's maternal grandmother, Sophie Bass, was a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania.^[1][3] She is the daughter of Sophie (née Berengher) and Johnny Brechtel, a football coach. She is married to Arthur Clarkson and they have five daughters, including Academy Award-nominated actress Patricia Clarkson. Before entering politics she was in real estate and president of the Louisiana Realtor Association.^[4]

She 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.^[5] The boundaries of District 102 are roughly the same as the Algiers 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 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 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 by 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, often called the runoff in Louisiana, against Arnie Fielkow, another Democrat and former Executive Vice President of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints. Mayor Ray Nagin 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 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.^[6]

Clarkson in 2008 and 2009 became particularly outspoken in defending likeminded councilwoman Stacy Head in a feud with city sanitation director Veronica White. Clarkson called for White's dismissal, but Nagin defended White.^[7]

Clarkson was re-elected as Councilmember at Large in February 2010 (again narrowly defeating Cynthia Willard-Lewis),^[8] and was named president of the council in May 2011.^[9]

Election history[]

Although a lifelong Democrat, Clarkson has received support from Republican organizations including the Parish Executive Committee of the Orleans Parish Republican Party.^[10] In 2008 she broke party ranks and supported Republican challenger Anh "Joseph" Cao in his longshot but successful bid to unseat Democratic incumbent William J. Jefferson from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district seat.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.^[13]

with her daughter in New Orleans

Footnotes[]

See also[]

• Anh "Joseph" Cao
• Arnie Fielkow
• Stacy Head
• Cynthia Hedge-Morrell
• William J. Jefferson
• Shelley Stephenson Midura
• Ray Nagin
• Rosalind Peychaud
• Cynthia Willard-Lewis

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jackie Clarkson.

• Clarkson campaign website : https://web.archive.org/web/20071022171110/http://jackieclarkson.org/ JackieClarkson.org
• Oral History Interview with Jacquelyn Clarkson from Oral Histories of the American South
• City of New Orleans : https://web.archive.org/web/20051108055806/http://www.cityofno.com/
• Louisiana Secretary of State : https://web.archive.org/web/20060911211304/http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/
• New Orleans Times-Picayune : http://www.nola.com/weblogs/bourbon/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_bstdiaries/archives/2003_05.html