A Conversation With Michael Brown

By Keith Boykin, in politics
Wednesday, September 6 2006, 5:57PM

When you hear the name Michael Brown, you might think of the guy who President Bush thought was doing "a heck of a job" last year during Hurricane Katrina. Fortunately, he's not the only Michael Brown in Washington. There's another famous Michael Brown there too. He's a longtime resident of the District of Columbia who's been active in politics for decades. And now he's running for mayor of the city he loves.

This Michael Brown is a high-powered Washington lawyer who was the former Finance Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, a surrogate speaker for the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign in 2004, the Gore-Lieberman campaign in 2000 and the Clinton-Gore campaigns in 1992 and 1996. He's also helped to found America’s Fund, a political action committee that supports candidates of color. So with the election next Tuesday, I thought I'd talk to Michael and find out more about his campaign for mayor.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that I've known Michael Brown for at least a decade now. We traveled to Africa together in the 1990s as a part of President Clinton's trade delegation. And we've crossed paths many times through the Democratic National Committee. Then most recently, Michael helped to negotiate a deal between the Nation of Islam and the black LGBT community to have a black LGBT speaker at the Millions More March last October.

I spoke to Michael by phone earlier today.

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL BROWN

KEITH BOYKIN: Hi Michael. I know you're busy, so let me get right to it. Why are you running for mayor?

MICHAEL BROWN: I’ve been concerned for quite some time about the direction my city was taking and concerned that a lot of people were getting left out and it’s not the city I remember growing up in. I thought I could make a difference in bridging the gap, black-white, gay-straight, young people and seniors. And we seem to be making some headway.

KEITH BOYKIN: You’re in third place in the polls. Do you have a chance?

MICHAEL BROWN: It depends on what polls you look at….I’ve won two citywide straw polls. The [Washington] Post didn’t report it but the Washington Times did. They have an agenda.

KEITH BOYKIN: The Post endorsed your opponent, Adrian Fenty.

MICHAEL BROWN: It was either Fenty or [Linda] Cropp. When you read the editorial, you can take his name off of that [and easily replace it with Cropp]. I think they want to continue the policies of [current mayor] Tony Williams. I don’t think they want my kind of message.

KEITH BOYKIN: If you win, how will DC be different at the end of your first term?

MICHAEL BROWN: First of all, we’re gonna have a school system that people can be proud of. We’re gonna reopen our vocational-technical schools so folks have a chance to succeed. And I want to refinance the baseball stadium deal...

KEITH BOYKIN: Your father was Ron Brown, former head of the DNC and Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration. How do you respond to critics who say you’re trading off your famous name?

MICHAEL BROWN: The critics and my opponents talk about my father more than I do, so I don’t know what to say to that. He is my father. I’m proud of who he is. I don’t know why people think I should run from that…

KEITH BOYKIN: Why are you a better candidate than Linda Cropp or Adrian Fenty?

MICHAEL BROWN: There is a different skill set I bring…their skill sets are basically being in elective office or a public official. They really don’t understand anything else relative to the business world or young people…There have been four mayors in our city’s history and only one has come from the city council…

KEITH BOYKIN: You have an original rap song on your web site. Who’s music is that and what made you decide to use that?

MICHAEL BROWN: It’s a go-go hip hop band. I don’t know the name of the group. I don't know if it's a group. I think they got some folks together and they just did it.

KEITH BOYKIN: Help me understand your position on marriage equality for gays and lesbians?

MICHAEL BROWN: It’s been my position from the beginning. I am personally for marriage equality…the problem is, as the leader, we don’t have any control over matters like that. Same with the commuter tax…and the marriage equality issue or gay marriage issue depending on what you call it, has the same problem. We’re not a state. This particular Congress has made it very clear [what they think about marriage equality]…I can stand up and say, when I’m mayor, I’m giving everyone a million dollars. Sounds good, but you can’t deliver on it.

KEITH BOYKIN: And if the federal government were not a barrier?

MICHAEL BROWN: Then from my standpoint, marriage equality is marriage equality.

KEITH BOYKIN: What are the chances for DC statehood if the Democrats take control of Congress this fall?

MICHAEL BROWN: The chances are good that we can start laying the groundwork. Statehood is not one of those overnight things that you can do…That’s a long process. You have to do a whole lot of marketing and talking about statehood, not just in the District of Columbia….It’s gonna take awhile but a lot of it has to do with the education outside of the Beltway. Most people think that if the District becomes a state, there will probably be two Democratic senators and probably two people of color. [And not everybody likes that idea.]

KEITH BOYKIN: You accused your opponent Linda Cropp of taking a "homophobic position" at a candidate’s forum this summer because she attributed a significant part of female HIV infections to "men on the down-low.” Tell me why you think that’s homophobic?

MICHAEL BROWN: Any time you blame or scapegoat a particular community or constituency group, whether its race, whether its gender, or whether its orientation, [that's a problem] and I believe that those comments were homophobic…not that she is, but the comments were, and obviously a lot of other people agreed with me.

KEITH BOYKIN: You’ve been running for mayor for a year now. Tell me how the experience has been?

MICHAEL BROWN:The most fun I’ve ever had in my life.

KEITH BOYKIN: Huh? Really?

MICHAEL BROWN: Well, outside of having fun in college….I’ve been involved in politics my whole life but never as a candidate. To be involved in politics as a candidate, you gotta love people, and I do. Meeting people and hearing their stories, I just thoroughly enjoy it.

KEITH BOYKIN: What's your strongest base of support?

MICHAEL BROWN: Disenfranchised neighborhoods. Folks who don’t really have a champion. I seem to be their champion...

KEITH BOYKIN: You played a role in trying to negotiate an LGBT presence in the Millions More March last year. Can you explain what you did?

MICHAEL BROWN:The LGBT community were getting very frustrated by the lack of voice they were getting in the planning part of the march, and the leadership…asked me to try to mediate. I called Chicago and tried to get some dialogue started and it seemed that we were successful, and at the last minute, [it all fell through].

KEITH BOYKIN: What happened?

MICHAEL BROWN: I don’t know if it was a complete renege, but I think some people would say they [the Nation of Islam] reneged on what the agreement was, and hence why we have a lot of division between the gay and lesbian community and our worship community. Part of my negotiation style is never to take a side…the issue is respect and mutual respect. And the city leaders that have been running the city for the last 8-10 years have let these divisions grow and fester…

KEITH BOYKIN: The HIV/AIDS rates in the District are among the highest in the nation. What are you going to do to stop that?

MICHAEL BROWN: I’m very proud that a group called DC Fights Back gave me the highest grade [on AIDS issues]…They’re a grassroots HIV organization. They appreciated my plan of raising the level of awareness, calling for a state of emergency, and then promoting abstinence, being with one partner, condom distribution and needle exchange. I think you can promote abstinence at the same time as giving out condoms…You can talk about abstinence responsibly, but at the same time just in case you do not abstain, please use this…I don’t think it has to be one or the other…

KEITH BOYKIN: What about the Bush Administration's abstinence-only approach?

MICHAEL BROWN: I don’t think it’s practical.

KEITH BOYKIN: Anything else you want to say?

MICHAEL BROWN: One of the things I’ve taken a lot of pride in is that just because you’re gay, lesbian or bisexual doesn’t mean you’re going to [work] in the gay affairs office. I’m going to put you where your talents are. Not just because you’re Latino you should be in the Latino affairs office.

KEITH BOYKIN: Thanks for the interview.

MICHAEL BROWN: Thank you.

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