Jackie Clarkson


Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson 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. She has been Honorary consul of Lithuania in New Orleans since December 2014. She is the mother of actress Patricia Clarkson.

Background

Clarkson's maternal grandmother, Sophie Bass, was a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania. She is the daughter of Sophie 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.
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. The boundaries of District 102 are roughly the same as the Algiers neighborhood 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.
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.
Clarkson was re-elected as Councilmember at Large in February 2010, and was named president of the council in May 2011.

Election history

Although a lifelong Democrat, Clarkson has received support from Republican organizations including the Parish Executive Committee of the Orleans Parish Republican Party. 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. 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:
Councilmember, District C, 1994
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 5, 1994
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Troy CarterDemocratic13,355 Elected
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic13,331 Defeated

State Representative, 102nd Representative District, 1994
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 1, 1994
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic4,018 Runoff
Yvonne Mitchell-GrubbDemocratic2,504 Runoff
Othersn.a.1,667 Defeated

Second Ballot, November 8, 1994
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic4,965 Elected
Yvonne Mitchell-GrubbDemocratic3,984 Defeated

State Representative, 102nd Representative District, 1995
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 21, 1995
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic4,691 Runoff
Ron GuidryDemocratic3,952 Runoff
Othersn.a.1,685 Defeated

Second Ballot, November 18, 1995
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic6,040 Elected
Ron GuidryDemocratic5,829 Defeated

State Representative, 102nd Representative District, 1999
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 23, 1999
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic5,520 Elected
Kenneth GarrettDemocratic1,453 Defeated
Othersn.a.1,888 Defeated

Councilmember, District C, 2002
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 2, 2002
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic11,961 Elected
Catherine SmithDemocratic3,783 Defeated
Othersn.a.7,013 Defeated

Councilmember at Large, 2006
Threshold > 25%
First Ballot, April 22, 2006
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Oliver ThomasDemocratic66,374 Elected
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic36,839 Runoff
Arnie FielkowDemocratic31,092 Runoff
Othersn.a.35,060 Defeated

Second Ballot, May 20, 2006
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Arnie FielkowDemocratic61,420 Elected
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic47,324 Defeated

Councilmember at Large, 2007
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 20, 2007
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Cynthia Willard-LewisDemocratic20,623 Runoff
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic15,766 Runoff
Virginia BouletDemocratic14,620 Defeated
Diana BajoieDemocratic7,816 Defeated
Othersn.a.14,802 Defeated

First Ballot, November 17, 2007
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Jackie ClarksonDemocratic27,740 Elected
Cynthia Willard-LewisDemocratic24,874 Defeated

Footnotes