Willie Brown rides again

Ebony, May, 1996 by Aldore Collier

In spite of the political and personal disappointments, Brown says he always plans to stay in politics. He hopes to serve two terms (the maximum allowed) as mayor of San Francisco and remain in politics in some capacity the rest of his days. Even if he goes back to practicing law, he still hopes to hold an elective or appointed office.

Although there are days when he shakes his head and is frustrated beyond belief at the fights and tedium that characterize the world of politics, he still goes to bed and wakes up refreshed and raring to go all over again, fighting for the inclusion of the downtrodden. "I'm a public servant," he says. "I want to keep doing it. I love politics."

NURSE IS IOWA'S FIRST BLACK MAYOR

DURING a period in life when most grandmothers her age are looking forward to the tranquil peacefulness of retirement, newly elected a Mayor LaMetta K. Wynn is busy mapping her strategy for the successful administration of Clinton, Iowa. Retirement, in fact, seems to be the last thing on this busy 62-year-old's mind.

Last November Wynn was elected Iowa's first Black female mayor and the first Black to hold the office in Clinton. Her victory over five White men, Including the incumbent, in a town that is 95 percent White, was historic. But during her campaign, she says her job qualifications, not her skin color, were on the minds of voters.

"I'm very proud of the people of Clinton," says Wynn, "because 99 percent of them had no idea that I would be the first Black female mayor of Iowa. They didn't vote for LaMetta. They said that we want LaMetta to be our mayor bakes we think she can help our city."

The national attention her victory received was the last thing she expected. Shortly after winning, she became news around the country, and President and Mrs. Clinton were among the many people who sent her their regards and best wishes. "I thought only Clinton people would care who would be mayor in Clinton," she says. "Maybe some of the towns around us, but I never thought my victory would draw this much publicity."

A resident since 1955, Wynn and her husband, Thomas H. Wynn, raised nine daughters and a son in Clinton. She settled in the small Midwestern city located on the shore of the Mississippi River after training to become a registered nurse. And she still works for the local hospital full-time because the mayor's position is only part-time.

Over the years Wynn has also been heavily involved in civic and community activities, including 12 years on the school board where she served three as president. "I would like to see some industry come to Clinton because we have lost industry and we do need jobs," says Clinton's oldest and most enthusiastic cheerleader. "I would like to see our downtown somehow revitalized. We have a beautiful riverfront and we're working at that, to make our riverfront look better, more attractive and revitalized."

FLOYD ADAMS JR. IS FIRST BLACK MAYOR IN SAVANNAH, GA.

FLOYD Adams Jr. has a history of making history. In 1991, he became the first Black to win a citywide election when he was elected alderman at large in Savannah, Ga. The next year he became the city's first Black vice mayor. But it was his election in November as the city's first Black mayor that put the international spotlight on him and this city that's renowned for preserving the symbols of its past.