Home Weather Lottery Classifieds Sports Comics Interact AP Wire Web Specials

Lawmaker behind Logan ouster opts to retire early By PETER WALLSTEN © St. Petersburg Times, published July 15, 1998 ALLAHASSEE -- The white lawmaker whose power grab six months ago sparked a racial rift still plaguing Florida Democrats said Tuesday she will retire. State Rep. Anne Mackenzie, D-Fort Lauderdale, said she wants to spend more time with her family. But she has been under intense pressure since January, when she was elected by her white colleagues to replace Rep. Willie Logan of Opa-locka as the party's next House leader. Logan was in line to become Florida's first black speaker in the event the Democrats win control of the chamber in November. His ouster prompted outrage among black leaders statewide. Mackenzie, 48, could have served two more years in the House under the state's term limits law. Her early retirement could allow for some healing. "It takes out some of the poison among the Democratic caucus members," said state Rep. Beryl Roberts-Burke, D-Miami, chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus. "I'm not going to say it's going to cause us to gel again. But it's pretty clear that this incident was such a serious event that it's destroying our party. The party needs to regroup." In the months following Logan's ouster, black leaders across the state have declared political free agency, in some cases even campaigning for Republican candidates. GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeb Bush has been reaching out to black voters, and polls show as many as 17 percent of blacks would vote for him over Democratic Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay in November. Four years ago, Bush got less than 10 percent of the black vote against Gov. Lawton Chiles. Mackenzie and other white leaders said Logan was a poor fund-raiser and too liberal to help Democrats make gains in a conservative era. The party has lost seats consistently over the past decade to Republicans, who now have a majority. But Mackenzie promised changes. On Tuesday, Mackenzie's colleagues said fund raising remained a problem, despite Mackenzie's efforts. They said she was tired of traveling. "She came into an almost impossible situation," said Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach. "She was unable to heal the wounds." Over the past two weeks, Frankel said she and other South Florida Democrats had taken over the main fund-raising duties for House candidates. "I am not pleased with the fund raising that was done up to this point," Frankel said. "I think we clearly have the ability to be more successful." Mackenzie's departure means that three of the key white leaders who orchestrated the Logan ouster will not return next year. Outgoing Democratic Leader Buzz Ritchie of Pensacola and Rep. Scott Clemons of Panama City also announced they would not see reelection. In addition, two longtime Mackenzie allies from Broward County, Reps. Jack Tobin and Fred Lippman, are not seeking re-election. Those interested in replacing Mackenzie as House Democratic leader include Rep. Les Miller of Tampa, who is black and was a member of the leadership team; Frankel, who said Tuesday she wanted to be speaker-designate in two years; Rep. John Rayson of Pompano Beach, one of three whites who voted against the Logan ouster; and Rep. John Cosgrove of Miami, who could not be reached Tuesday. Whoever is chosen faces a big challenge. When the Republicans won their first majority in November 1996, they had just a 61-59 edge. After several party switches and special elections by the end of the 1998 legislative session in May, the GOP owned a 66-54 lead. "It's going to take someone who's a moderate person who can deal with all facets of the party, be they conservatives, moderates, Jews, blacks, Hispanics, or whatever," Miller said. Mackenzie's retirement caps a 16-year career in the House. She was the first woman to serve as chairman of the Finance & Taxation Committee and was the first woman to serve as House majority leader. She came under criticism in recent years for living in Tallahassee with her husband, lobbyist Walter Law, while continuing to represent her district in Fort Lauderdale. But the Logan ouster has haunted her. "Her retirement was something that I expected a long time ago," Roberts-Burke said. "I felt she could never pull this off." Business | Citrus | Commentary | Entertainment Hernando | Floridian | Obituaries | Pasco | Sports State | Tampa Bay | World & Nation © Copyright 1998 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.