[AGL] Jeff Friedman dies, age 62

[Michael Eisenstadt]

This is the obit from the Statesman.

----------------------------------------------------

Friday, June 08, 2007
More than 35 years after Jeff Friedman helped change the face and the focus
of Austin politics, the firebrand former mayor has died at the age of 62.
Friedman, who was first elected to the City Council in 1971 at age 26,
suffered a heart attack last weekend. He died Thursday. Known for his bushy
mustache and quick wit, Austin's "hippie mayor" pushed open the doors of
City Hall for people who hadnever before been welcome, friends said. "Jeff
introduced Austin city government to democracy," said Texas Monthly
publisher Mike Levy. "To say that the city was shocked is an
understatement." Friedman's first council win came only a year after
graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, riding a wave of
newfound voting power among minorities, college students and others. The
liberal coalition challenged the mostly conservative establishment and
championed many of the issues that dominate Austin politics today, such as
controlling growth and providing diverse representation. Four years later,
Friedman was mayor and declared that the "people of Austin have taken the
city."
Friedman focused on many issues that directly affected citizens. He called
for equalizing electric rates, creating a public ambulance service and
making City Hall more accessible to and representative of the community.
Peck Young, a political consultant who ran Friedman's council campaign, said
Austinites now take for granted the open government measures that Friedman
put in place, such as notifying neighbors of impending zoning decisions and
requiring city leaders to disclose personal financial information. And he
wanted government to serve the people who had been ignored, particularly the
black and Hispanic communities. "He had a big heart for those folks who
needed a voice," Young said. The city's boards and commissions multiplied
during his tenure, which allowed more people to have a say in city affairs,
supporters said. One of Friedman's appointees, Shudde Fath, still serves on
the Electric Utility Commission, which the council created while Friedman
was mayor. "He was a breath of fresh air in city government," Fath said,
because he looked out for the little guy.
Friedman's time on the council was an era of tremendous growth. Young said
that Friedman did not oppose growth, but he believed it should be well
managed and that taxpayers should not be subsidizing the development. "He
was the first guy to say that we're going to have to argue about this
stuff," Young said. Handling growth led to some of the major battles of the
era, including repeated fights over a proposed nuclear project in South
Texas. Friedman eventually supported the controversial nuclear project, a
decision that created a rift between him and many of the folks who put him
in office. Lowell Lebermann, who served on the City Council at the same time
as Friedman, said he brought a loud, lively voice and a completely different
point of view to City Hall. "If he had not been here and been involved, we
would have had to invent him," Lebermann said. In 1977, Friedman announced
that he would not seek re-election and would focus full-time on his law
firm. "I really love working for the people of Austin," Friedman told the
American-Statesman at the time. "To have been a 26-year-old kid off the UT
campus and have had a chance to do some creative molding of the future of
this city-it's really been fun. No, it's been good." Friedman moved
frequently as a child and came to Austin for law school after graduating
from the University of Missouri in 1967. He was swept into local politics in
1970 when the City Council tried to thwart a student anti-Vietnam War march
planned in the wake of the Kent State shootings. That incident prompted a
core group of students to launch a campus voter registration drive and then
turn that momentum to electing Friedman and a slate of liberal candidates to
the City Council. "It was a campaign to raise issues and generate the
discussion necessary to bring Austin to a modern era," Friedman said in a
2005 interview. "We just thought we'd get some points across." Instead, they
developed some political muscle that was exercised again and again to launch
the careers of some of Austin's most enduring political figures, including
Gonzalo Barrientos and Lloyd Doggett. Friedman ran unsuccessfully for mayor
in 1988 and toyed with the idea of vying for the U.S. Congress seat now held
by Doggett. After leaving politics, Friedman was dismayed with the path the
city's political leaders had followed and criticized the focus on
environmental issues over social concerns. "They became the rulers and
forgot what it was like when they didn't have equal access to government
decision-making," Friedman said in 1990 after several liberal council
candidates lost. Ron Weddington, Friedman's law partner for almost 30 years,
said Friedman spent a lot of time with this family and enjoying baseball
after leaving the council. He also continued to relish a good fight. In the
1980s, Friedman represented a woman who had been fired from a Luby's
restaurant for what her employer said was stealing a 10-cent blueberry
muffin. The woman had actually deducted the cost of the muffin from her time
card, but the employer had erased the notation. But because the employer had
told workers at the restaurant that the woman had been fired for stealing,
Friedman sued Luby's for slander and won. The jury gave her a $300,000
judgment. His wife of 33 years, Carole, said Thursday that Jeff
Friedman"always loved Austin even though it has changed." Adam Friedman said
his father was funny, well respected and cared for his community. "All he
wanted was what we wanted. What we wanted was to be him," Adam Friedman
said. Friedman is also survived by his son Jordan, mother Evalyn Friedman
and sister Jill Friedman. Services are scheduled for Sunday at Congregation
Beth Israel, 3901 Shoal Creek Boulevard. The time has not been set.