Ange-Félix Patassé, Central African politician, Prime Minister (1976–1978) and President (1993–2003) died he was , 74

Ange-Félix Patassé  was a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 1993 until 2003, when he was deposed by the rebel leader François Bozizé died he was , 74. Patassé was the first president in the CAR's history (since 1960) to be chosen in what was generally regarded as a fairly democratic election (1993) in that it was brought about by donor pressure on the Kolingba regime and assisted by the UN Electoral Assistance Unit. He was chosen a second time in a fair election (1999) as well. However, during his first term in office (1993–1999), three military mutinies in 1996–1997 led to increasing conflict between so-called "northerners" (like Patassé) and "southerners" (like his predecessor President André Kolingba). Expatriate mediators and peacekeeping troops were brought in to negotiate peace accords between Patassé and the mutineers and to maintain law and order. During his second term as president, Patassé increasingly lost the support of many of his long-time allies as well as the French, who had intervened to support him during his first term in office. Patassé was ousted in March 2003 and went into exile in Togo.

(January 25, 1937 – April 5, 2011)

Background

Patassé was born in Paoua, the capital of the northwestern province of Ouham Pendé in the colony of Ubangi-Shari in French Equatorial Africa, and he belonged to the Sara-Kaba ethnic group which predominates in the region around Paoua. Patassé's father, Paul Ngakoutou, who had served in the Free French military forces during the Second World War and afterwards worked for the colonial administration in the Province of Ouham-Pendé, was a member of the Sara-kaba people and was raised in a small village to the northeast of Boguila. Patassé's mother, Véronique Goumba, belonged to the Kare ethnic group of northwestern Ubangi-Shari. As Patassé spent much of his youth in Paoua he was associated with the Ouham-Pendé province and many of his most loyal political supporters were Kaba. After attending school in Ubangi-Shari, Patassé studied in an agricultural institute in Puy-de-Dôme, France, where he received a Technical Baccalaureate which allowed him to enroll in the Superior Academy of Tropical Agriculture in Nogent-sur-Marne, and then in the National Agronomical Institute in Paris. Specializing in zootechnology, he received a diploma from the Center for the Artificial Insemination of Domestic Animals in Rambouillet, France. He finished his studies in Paris in 1959, a year before the independence of the Central African Republic.

Political career

 1960s–1970s: Rise to power

Patassé joined the Central African civil service in 1959, shortly before independence. He became an agricultural engineer and agricultural inspector in the Ministry of Agriculture in July 1963, under President David Dacko. In December 1965, Dacko appointed him Director of Agriculture and Minister of Development. In 1966, Jean-Bédel Bokassa took power in a coup d'état. Patassé was the "cousin" of President Bokassa's principal wife, Catherine Denguiade, and gained the confidence of the new president, serving in almost all the governments formed by Bokassa. After Bokassa's creation of the Council for the Central African Revolution (in imitation of Libya's government council), Patassé was named a member of the Council of the Revolution with the rank of Prime Minister in charge of Posts and Communications, Tourism, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, as well as Custodian of the Seats of State (4 September 1976 – 14 December 1976). During this period Patassé followed Bokassa in becoming a convert to Islam for a few months, and changed his name to Mustafa Patassé. After Bokassa became Emperor Bokassa I, Patassé was named Prime Minister and Head of the first Imperial Government. He remained in this position for 2 1/2 years, when a public announcement was made that Patassé had stepped down from office due to health problems. Patassé then left for France, where he remained in exile until the overthrow of Bokassa in September 1979. Shortly before Bokassa's overthrow, Patassé announced his opposition to the Emperor and founded the Front de Libération du Peuple Centrafricain (FLPC; Front for the Liberation of the Central African People]).
Emperor Bokassa was overthrown and President David Dacko restored to power by the French in 1979. Dacko ordered Patassé to be put under house arrest. Patassé attempted to escape to the Republic of Chad, but failed and was arrested again. He was later released due to alleged health problems.

 Ministerial roles under Bokassa

• Minister of Development (1 January 1966 – 5 April 1968)
• Minister of Transport and Energy (5 April 1968 – 17 September 1969)
• Minister of State for Development, Tourism, Transport and Energy (17 September 1969 – 4 February 1970)
• Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Waters, Forests, Hunting, Tourism and Transport (4 February 1970 – 25 June 1970)
• Minister of State for Development (25 June 1970 – 19 August 1970)
• Minister of State for Transport and Commerce (19 August 1970 – 25 November 1970)
• Minister of State for the Organization of Transport by Roads, Rivers and Air (25 November 1970 – 19 October 1971)
• Minister of State for Civil Aviation (19 October 1971 – 13 May 1972)
• Minister of State for delegated by the President of the Republic for Rural Development (13 May 1972 – 20 March 1973)
• Minister of State for Public Health and Social Affairs (20 March 1973 – 16 October 1973)
• Minister of State delegated by the President of the Republic for Missions (16 October 1973 – 1 February 1974)
• Minister of State for Tourism, Waters, Forests, Hunting and Fishing (15 June 1974 – 4 April 1976)
• Minister of State serving as Agricultural Councilor for the Head of State (10 April 1976 – 24 May 1976)
• Minister of State for Tourism, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing (24 May 1976 – 4 September 1976)

1980s: Return to politics and further exile

Patassé returned to the CAR to present himself as a candidate for the presidential election of 15 March 1981, after which it was announced that Patassé gained 38% of the votes and thus came in second, after President Dacko. Patassé denounced the election results as rigged, which they clearly were. Several months later, on 1 September 1981, General André Kolingba overthrew Dacko in a bloodless coup and took power, after which he forbade political activity in the country. Patassé felt obliged to leave the Central African Republic to live in exile once again, but on 27 February 1982, Patassé returned to the Central African Republic and participated in an unsuccessful coup d'état against General Kolingba with the help of a few military officers such as General François Bozizé. Four days later, having failed to gain the support of the military forces, Patassé went in disguise to the French Embassy in order to seek refuge. After heated negotiations between President Kolingba and the French, Patassé was allowed to leave for exile in Togo. After remaining abroad for almost a decade, of which several years were spent in France, Patassé returned to the Central African Republic in 1992 to participate in presidential elections as head of the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC). The donor community, with the fall of the Soviet Union, saw no need to prop up the Kolingba regime and so had pressed for change helping to organise elections with some help from the UN Electoral Assistance Unit and with logistical support from the French army.

 1990s: Return to power

After the Kolingba regime sabotaged a first set of elections in 1992, which Patassé would have probably won, a second set of elections was held and on the second round on 19 September 1993, he came in first, defeating Kolingba, David Dacko and Abel Goumba, and took office on October 22, 1993. Largely thanks to the foreign pressure notably from the USA and technical support from the UN, for the first time the elections were fair and democratic. Patassé thus became the first president in the nation's history to gain power by such means. He had the support of most of his own sara-kaba people, the largest ethno-linguistic group in the Central African Republic, as well as the Souma people of his "hometown" of Paoua and the Kare people of his mother. Most of his supporters lived in the most populous northwestern savanna regions of the CAR, and thus came to be called "northerners", whereas all previous presidents were from either the forest or Ubangi river regions in the south, and so their supporters came to be called "southerners". As a populist, Patassé promoted himself as a candidate who represented a majority of the population against the privileges of southerners who held a disproportionate number of lucrative jobs in the public and parastatal sectors of the economy. As President, Patassé began to replace many "southerners" with "northerners" in these jobs which infuriated many Yakoma people in particular who had benefited from the patronage of former President Kolingba.Template:FAct During Patassé's first six-year term in office (22 October 1993 – 1999), the economy appeared to improve a little as the flow of donor money started up again following the elections and the apparent legitimacy they brought. There were three consecutive mutinies in 1996–1997, during which destruction of buildings and property had an adverse impact on the economy. The first mutiny began in May 1996. Patassé's government successfully regained control with the help of François Bozizé and the French, but his obvious dependency on the French, against whom he had regularly railed, reduced his standing further. His subsequent use of Libyan troops as a body guard did nothing to help his reputation, either locally or with the donor community and the USA even closed their embassy temporarily. The last and most serious mutiny continued until early 1997, when a semblance of order was restored with the help of troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, Mali, Senegal, and Togo. The Security Council of the United Nations approved a mission for peace, MINURCA, in 1998. MINURCA was made up of 1,350 African soldiers. These mutinies greatly increased the tension between "northerners" and "southerners" in the CAR and thus polarized society to a greater extent than before. In the presidential election of September 1999, Patassé won easily, defeating former presidents Kolingba and Dacko, winning in the first round with about 51.6% of the vote. Opposition leaders^[who?] accused the elections of being rigged. During his second term, Patassé, whose rule had always been erratic and arbitrary,became increasingly unpopular. In 2000, he may have had his former prime-minister Jean-Luc Mandaba and his son poisoned on suspicion of planning a coup.^[1]There were failed coup attempts against him in 2001 and 2002, which he suspected Andre Kolingba and/or General François Bozizé were involved in, but when Patassé attempted to have Bozizé arrested, the general left the country for Chad with military forces which were loyal to him.

 2003–2008: Ouster and criminal charges

Patassé left the country for a conference in Niger in 2003, and in his absence Bozizé seized Bangui on March 15. Although this takeover was internationally condemned, no attempt was made to depose the new leader. Patassé then went into exile in Togo.
Although nominated as the MLPC's presidential candidate in November 2004, on December 30, 2004 Patassé was barred from running in the 2005 presidential election due to what the Constitutional Court considered problems with his birth certificate and land title. He was one of seven candidates barred, while five, including Bozizé, were permitted to stand. After an agreement signed in Libreville, Gabon on January 22, 2005, all barred presidential candidates were permitted to stand in the March 13 election except for Patassé, on the grounds that he was the subject of judicial proceedings. The MLPC instead backed his last prime minister, Martin Ziguélé, for president.
Patassé was accused of stealing 70 billion Central African francs from the country's treasury. He denied this and in an interview with Agence France-Presse on December 21, 2004, he stated that he had no idea where he could have found so much money to steal in a country with a budget of only 90–100 billion francs. He was also accused of war crimes in connection with the violence that followed a failed 2002 coup attempt, in which rebels from the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo came to Patassé's assistance, but were accused of committing many atrocities in the process. Patassé, the Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba and three others were charged in September 2004. [2] However, the government of the Central African Republic was unable to arrest them, so the courts referred the matter in April 2006 to the International Criminal Court.
In March 2006, the Central African government accused Patassé of recruiting rebels and foreign mercenaries, establishing a training camp for them on the Sudanese border, and planning to destabilize the country. [3] [4]
At an extraordinary congress of the MLPC in June 2006, Patassé was suspended from the party for one year, while Ziguélé was elected as President of the MPLC. [5] In August 2006 a court in the Central African Republic sentenced Patassé in absentia to 20 years of hard labor after a trial over the financial misconduct charges. [6] At the MLPC's third ordinary congress in June 2007, Patassé was suspended from the party for three years, until the next party congress, with the threat of being expelled from the party altogether if he speaks on its behalf without approval while he is suspended. [7]

2008–2011: Return to Bangui, last presidential campaign, and death

On December 7, 2008, Patassé returned to the Central African Republic for the first time since his ouster in order to participate in a national dialogue, with the government's permission. Arriving at the airport in Bangui, he kissed the ground and said that he had "not come to judge but to find grounds for entente and to tackle the problems of the Central African Republic".^[2] At the dialogue, Patassé said that the political situation should be resolved not through removing Bozizé from office, but through "democratic, transparent and fair elections in 2010".^[3]
Patassé said in June 2009 that he would be leaving his Togolese exile and returning to Bangui in preparation for the 2010 presidential election, in which he planned to stand as a candidate. Although Ziguélé had taken over the MPLC, Patassé declared that he would convene a party congress upon his return.^[4] He eventually returned to Bangui on October 30, 2009, amidst a "discreet atmosphere".^[5] He subsequently met with Bozizé on November 9. Following the meeting, Patassé thanked Bozizé in a statement and said that they had discussed the Central African Republic's problems "in a brotherly atmosphere". He also reiterated his intention to stand as a presidential candidate in 2010.^[6]
Patassé placed second in the January 2011 presidential election, far behind Bozizé, although ill-health had impeded his campaigning. He suffered from diabetes and was prevented from leaving the country for treatment in Equatorial Guinea in March 2011. He was eventually allowed to travel, but was hospitalised at Douala in Cameroon en route to Malabo, and died there on April 5, 2011.^[7] There were calls for a state funeral.^[8]

Personal life

While in exile in Togo from 1982 to 1992, Patassé separated from his first wife, Lucienne. He then married a Togolese woman, Angèle, and during his subsequent exile in Togo, beginning in 2003, he lived with her there. She died in Lomé on December 3, 2007 at the age of 52. [8]

 

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Gil Robbins, American folk singer (The Highwaymen) and actor, father of Tim Robbins died he was , 80.

 Gilbert Lee "Gil" Robbins  was an American folk singer, folk musician and actor. Robbins was a former member of the folk band, The Highwaymen died he was , 80.. The New York Times described Robbins as a "fixture on the folk-music scene."^[2] He was the father of actor and director, Tim Robbins.^[3][4]

(April 3, 1931 – April 5, 2011)

Early life

Robbins was born in Spokane, Washington in 1931.^[1] He moved with his family to Los Angeles, California, when he was less than one year old.^[1] Robbins began playing with the percussion section of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra as a high school student.^[1] He received a scholarship to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he joined the university's marching band as a drum major.^[2] He met his future wife, Mary Bledsoe, then a collegiate flautist, as a student at UCLA.^[1] Robbins left UCLA before his graduation and enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1951.^[1][2] During his time in the U.S. Air Force, Robbins became a conductor and drum major for the 542nd Division at an air force base in Selma, Alabama.^[1][2]

Career

Robbins played with several bands and musicians early in his career. he became a member of the trio, Cumberland Three, in 1960.^[2] The band had been formed by Roulette Records and musician John Stewart, who sent them New York City.^[2] Robbins soon became active in the city's folk music scenes, especially in Greenwich Village.^[2] Robbins recorded three albums with the Cumberland Three, including two albums of American Civil War music.^[2] Robbins left the Cumberland Three after three albums and joined the Belafonte Singers, a twelve member group which performed with Harry Belafonte.^[2] He also performed with Tom Paxton.^[1]
Robbins joined the folk band, The Highwaymen in 1962,^[3] replacing departing member Stephen Trott, who left the band to attend Harvard Law School.^[5] He remained as a member of the band for three years until its breakup in 1964.^[2] Robbins, who appeared on five of the band's albums, performed for the band as a guitarrón mexicano player, songwriter and baritone singer.^[1][2] His live album credits with the band included Hootenanny With the Highwaymen, One More Time and Homecoming.^[2] Robbins has been credited with influencing some of The Highwaymen more politically oriented music during his membership.^[6]
Robbins became the manager of the The Gaslight Cafe, a former folk music club in New York City's Greenwich Village, during the late 1960s.^[1][4] The club saw performances by well known musicians early in their careers, including Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen.^[3][4] Robbins also became active within other sectors of the Greenwich Village community, including as the choir director of the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village.^[2] He also founded the Occassional Singers, a choral group which performed "avant garde" music, according to the New York Times.^[2]
Outside of music, Robbins also pursued a career in acting. He worked as a stage actor in New York City, including off Broadway productions and musicals.^[1][2] He was also cast in several small films roles, including Bob Roberts in 1992, Dead Man Walking in 1995, the 1999 dramatic film, Cradle Will Rock, and the 1998 M. Night Shyamalan film, Wide Awake.^[1][2] Additionally, Robbins worked as a musical consultant and vocal coach.^[3]

Death

Gil Robbins died at his home in Esteban Cantu, Baja California, Mexico from prostate cancer on April 5, 2011, two days after his 80th birthday.^[3][2] He was survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary Robbins; their four children - Tim Robbins, Adele, David and Gabrielle - and four grandchildren. Mary died only 12 days later, on April 17, 2011, aged 78.^[1][3]

 

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Larry Shepard, American baseball manager (Pittsburgh Pirates) and coach (Cincinnati Reds) died he was , 92

Lawrence William Shepard was a manager in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1968 to 1969 died he was , 92. During his playing days, Shepard was a right-handed pitcher who played minor league baseball from 1941 through 1956, with time out for military service during World War II. He attended McGill University in Montréal, Québec.

(April 3, 1919 – April 5, 2011) 

Shepard became a playing manager in the Brooklyn Dodgers farm system in 1948, with Medford of the Class D Far West League. His club finished second, thanks to the 22–3 record of his star pitcher – Shepard himself. He then moved up to the Billings Mustangs of the Class C Pioneer League, where, as a pitcher, he won 21, 22 and 24 games in successive (1949–1951) seasons. As a skipper, his 1949 club won the league playoffs.
In 1952 and part of 1953, Shepard took a break from managing, becoming strictly a relief pitcher for the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. Concurrently, he left the Dodger system for the Pirates organization. He resumed his managerial career in the middle of the 1953 season in the Pittsburgh system, winning the 1956 Western League title with the Lincoln Chiefs. From 1958 through 1966, he managed at the AAA level for Pittsburgh with the Salt Lake City Bees and Columbus Jets, notching three first-place finishes.
In 1967, Shepard reached the major league level when he was named pitching coach of the Philadelphia Phillies. After only one season, he was appointed manager of the Pirates. In his two seasons as skipper of the Bucs, he had a combined record of 164–155, finishing sixth in the ten-team National League in 1968 and third in the NL East in 1969. He was a manager of the legendary Roberto Clemente.
After his firing by the Pirates with seven games remaining in the '69 season, Shepard returned to the coaching ranks. He was the pitching coach of the fabled Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" dynasty under Sparky Anderson from 1970 through 1978, and finished his career in uniform in a similar post with the 1979 San Francisco Giants.

 

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John Adler, American politician, U.S. Representative from New Jersey (2009–2011), died from infective endocarditis he was , 51.

John Herbert Adler was a U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, serving from 2009 until 2011 died from infective endocarditis he was , 51.. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was formerly a member of the New Jersey Senate from 1992 to 2009, where he represented the 6th Legislative District. The district stretches from the suburbs of Philadelphia to Ocean County. He lost the 2010 congressional election to former football player Jon Runyan (of the Philadelphia Eagles).

(August 23, 1959 – April 4, 2011)

Early life, education and career

Adler was born in Philadelphia and moved to Haddonfield, New Jersey when he was two years old. His father owned a small dry cleaning store. When Adler was in high school, his father passed away after a series of heart attacks. Adler and his mother lost the family business, and survived off his father's Social Security benefits for widows and minors. He attended Haddonfield Memorial High School. He went on to receive an B.A. from Harvard College in Government, and earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School.^[4] He paid for law school through student loans, grants and working odd jobs throughout college.

Early political career

From 1988 until 1989, Adler served on the Cherry Hill Township Council. While serving on the Council, Adler passed the township’s ethics ordinance.^[5]
In 1990, Adler challenged incumbent Jim Saxton for his seat in New Jersey's 13th congressional district. Adler was defeated by Saxton by a margin of 60% to 40%.^[6]

New Jersey State Senate

Adler was elected in 1991 to the New Jersey State Senate, where he served from 1992 until his inauguration into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009. While in the New Jersey State Senate, Adler served on the Judiciary Committee (as Chair) and the Environment Committee. He served on the New Jersey Israel Commission since 1995, and on the New Jersey Intergovernmental Relations Commission from 1994 to 2002.^[4]

Adler applauds a motion of the New Jersey Legislature.

[edit] Legislation

Adler was co-sponsor of the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, enacted in 2006, which banned smoking in almost all public places.^[7] Adler was one of three co-sponsors of a Senate bill submitted in 2008 that would extend the smoking ban to casinos and simulcasting facilities, which had been exempted in the earlier version of the ban.^[8]
Adler co-sponsored legislation that strips government pensions from public employees who are convicted of or plead guilty to corruption charges.^[9]
Adler co-sponsored a bill that would expand voting rights for military personnel and New Jersey citizens overseas to include state and local elections. The bill was signed into law on August 12, 2008 by Governor Corzine.^[10]

U.S. House of Representatives

 Committee assignments

• Committee on Financial Services
• Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
• Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology
• Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
• Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

U.S. Congressman Adler was ranked by The National Journal as one of the ten most centrist members in the House of Representatives. He is ranked as 50.5 percent liberal and 49.5 percent conservative.^[11]

Legislation

This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (July 2010)

• In November 2009 and March 2010, Adler voted against House and the Senate Health Care bills.^[12][13][14] He did not signed a petition circulated by Iowa Republican Steve King calling for a complete repeal of the law.^[15]
• Adler was in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.^[16]
• Adler voted against the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), and has voted to end the program.^[17]
• Adler voted in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act.^[18]
• Congressman Adler has voted for the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. He also voted for legislation that would prevent credit card companies from taking advantage of consumers by banning commonly occurred abuses.^[19][20]
• In January 2009, Adler announced his first bill as a U.S. Representative: the Safeguarding America's Seniors and Veterans Act. A version of this bill passed and provided a $250 one-time economic recovery payment for seniors and disabled veterans.^[21] The bill was designed to provide non-working seniors and veterans with the same $500 tax credit that all working Americans received through the Making Work Pay tax credit in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.^[22]

Political campaigns

2004 presidential election

On October 7, 2003, along with Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey's 8th Congressional District, Adler formally endorsed Senator John Kerry for President and became the Co-Chairman of John Kerry's campaign in the Garden State. Shortly afterwards on December 19, 2003, Governor of New Jersey Jim McGreevey and most of the New Jersey Democratic Party came out in support of Former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean for President. Because of this endorsement for Kerry, and Kerry's decisive win in the Democratic Primary, Adler was rumored to be the frontrunner for U.S. Attorney for New Jersey if the Senator from Massachusetts had won the 2004 presidential election.

 2008

On September 20, 2007, Adler announced that he planned to challenge Saxton in New Jersey's 3rd congressional district.^[23] On November 9, 2007, Saxton announced that he would not seek reelection in 2008, citing prostate cancer, leaving the seat open in the upcoming congressional elections.^[24] Adler was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican Medford Mayor, Lockheed Martin executive, and Gulf War veteran Chris Myers.^[25]
During the 2008 election cycle, Adler was one of the first elected officials in New Jersey to endorse Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in a state where the party establishment supported Hillary Clinton. Adler held a financial advantage over his opponent through all of the race, holding a 10-1 or 5-1 funding edge over Myers for a majority of the campaign.^[26] Adler had raised the most money in the country of any non-incumbent congressional candidate.^[27][28]
Adler received a number of endorsements for the election, including those from the Teamsters, Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey,^[29] New Jersey Environmental Federation, The Sierra Club, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Health Care, and the Recreational Fishing Alliance.^[30][31][32]
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee committed $1.7 million in ad buys to Adler's campaign.^[33] In comparison, the NRCC committed $84,200 in coordinated ad buys with the Myers campaign, in addition to help the NRCC gave in financing an internal poll in September with the Myers campaign. Myers also benefited from two ad buys by the 501(c)(4) organization Freedom's Watch, which attacked John Adler on his tax record, his legislative history, and contributions he received from subprime mortgage companies.^[34][35]
Adler won a majority of newspaper endorsements. He was endorsed by the Press of Atlantic City,^[36] the Philadelphia Inquirer,^[37] the New York Times, ^[38] the Burlington County Times,^[39] the Courier Post,^[40] Myers received the endorsement of the Asbury Park Press.^[41]
The 3rd district race was the last one to be called in New Jersey on Election Night 2008. Adler ultimately defeated Myers with 52.08% of the vote to Myers' 47.92%.^[42] He was sworn into his position as the Congressman from the 3rd district of New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives on January 6, 2009, the first Democrat to represent this district in 123 years.^{[citation needed]}

 2010

Adler was challenged by Republican nominee Jon Runyan, NJ Tea Party nominee Peter DeStefano, Libertarian nominee Russ Conger, and Your Country Again nominee Lawrence J. Donahue.
Runyan is a former Philadelphia Eagles star and a Mount Laurel resident. Republicans will be heavily targeting this seat in this election cycle.^[43] A potential warning sign for Adler came in the New Jersey gubernatorial race in 2009, when Republican candidate Chris Christie carried Adler's district by 17 points over Democratic Governor Jon Corzine ^[44]
Some Democratic operatives have asserted that Adler campaign staffers and the Camden County Democratic Committee (CCDC) recruited Tea Party candidate Peter DeStefano in an attempt to split the conservative vote and benefit Adler. New Jersey Tea Party groups said they had never heard of DeStefano until he had a strong showing in a July poll released by the Adler campaign.^[45] On October 8, 2010, the Associated Press reported, based on the details of an earlier article at CourierPostOnline.com, that there was "mounting evidence" that the Democrats recruited DeStefano. The article noted that a Democratic Party employee ran DeStefano's website and that many of the signatures on DeStefano's nominating petitions belonged to Democrats - including a former Adler campaign staffer.^[46] Reportedly, Steve Ayscue, the paid head of operations for CCDC, and Geoff Mackler, Adler's campaign manager, presented a plan at CCDC Headquarters during a May 26 meeting of the South Jersey Young Democrats, and some of those present soon joined in circulating a petition to place Peter DeStefano on the ballot.^[47] DeStefano will appear on the "NJ Tea Party" line on the November 2 ballot.^[47] Adler denies the allegations.^[48][49] DeStefano called the suggestion that he is a Democratic plant "a bunch of crap".^[48]
Governor Chris Christie campaigned hard for Runyan, calling Adler a "career politician". Adler lost in the 2010 midterm elections against Runyan.^[50]

Personal life

Adler met his wife Shelley, in law school. He converted to her faith of Judaism in 1985, having been raised an Episcopalian.^[51] After they graduated, they returned to South Jersey and settled down in Cherry Hill. They resided in Cherry Hill with their four sons until his death.

Death

In March 2011, Adler contracted a staph infection which resulted in endocarditis leading to emergency surgery. He never recovered and died on April 4, 2011. He is survived by his wife and four sons.^[52]

 

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Scott Columbus, American drummer (Manowar) died he was , 54.

Scott Columbus  was an American musician and the former drummer of Manowar died he was , 54.. Reportedly he was discovered by a female fan of the band, beating aluminium in a local foundry.^[1] With the band from 1983-90, he was eventually forced to leave the band when his son fell ill. He was replaced by Rhino for The Triumph of Steel but returned for Louder Than Hell and remained with the band until the summer of 2008 when he was replaced once again by Rhino during Manowar's performances in Bulgaria and Magic Circle Festival 2008^[2].

(November 10, 1956 — April 4, 2011)

Manowar never officially announced Columbus's departure in 2008. In an interview with Classic Rock magazine, Scott said "I'd say it was about April 2008. When Mr. DeMaio [Joey DeMaio, MANOWAR bassist/mainman] and myself agreed to disagree on a few points of interest. That leads us up to today. You know what? I had a long and wonderful career with MANOWAR; I have no regrets, it's just life moves on. When asked about his departure in the early 90's Scott said "It was the very end of 1989 leading into 1990. I was officially gone in 1990, the first time. I can just tell you and the world that my son was never sick. So you can deduce from that what you may. However, that's what I'll tell you [concerning the official statement]."^[3]
Columbus played the so-called "Drums of Doom", a kit made of stainless steel, because his drumming technique is too rough on standard kits which had to be replaced too regularly. ^[4]

Death

On April 5, 2011, Manowar's official Facebook, and Manowar's official website,^[5] posted the following:
"With great sorrow we announce the passing of our brother Scott Columbus. A rare talent, equally a rare individual, a father, a friend and a brother of metal. All of the great moments we spent together are burnished in our hearts and memories forever. We know he is in a good place and at peace. He will never be forgotten." Your family and brothers, Joey, Eric, Karl, Donnie. And all at Magic Circle Music.

 

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Jackson Lago, Brazilian politician, Governor of Maranhão (2007–2009), died from cancer he was , 76

Jackson Kléper Lago  was a Brazilian physician and politician died from cancer he was , 76. He served as governor of Maranhão from January 1, 2007 to April 16, 2009, when the Brazilian Supreme Electoral Court repealed his term. Before being elected governor of Maranhão, Lago was the mayor of São Luís on three occasions (1989–1992, 1997–2000, and 2001–2002).


(November 1, 1934 – April 4, 2011)

Political career

Born in the municipality of Pedreiras, Maranhão, Jackson Lago began his political career in the late 1960s, participating in events against the military dictatorship. A member of the doctors' union, Lago was a pioneer in the performance of thoracic surgeries in the public health system of Maranhão and taught at the Medicine School of the State. In 1979, he helped to found the Democratic Labour Party, of which he has always been a member, in Maranhão.^[2]
In 1989, Lago was elected and assumed office as Mayor of São Luís for the first time. On 1996 he was elected by the second time and assumed office on January 1, 1997 for his second term. In 2000 he was re-elected and assumed office on January 1, 2001 for the third time. Lago achieved the title of best mayor in Brazil, being so-named according to research conducted by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.^[3] Lago considered the expansion of the number of students in public schools and the improved training of teachers to have been his greatest achievements as the head the mayor of São Luís.^[2] The Lago administration was also recognized for advances in public health, generation of employment and income, public safety, public participation, infrastructure, environment and culture, among others.^[3]
Lago resigned his last term as mayor of São Luís to run to become the governor of Maranhão. Counting initially on the support of only about 20% of the electorate, Lago surprised opinion polling and was elected in the second round with 51.82% of the valid votes against 48.18% of former governor Roseana Sarney.^[4] An IBOPE survey commissioned by TV Mirante indicated that Sarney would win the election in the first round. Only the Toledo & Associates Institute, hired by the newspaper O Imparcial, foresaw the possibility of runoff voting in the state.^[5] During his campaign, Lago bet on the political wear of the Sarneys, strongly denouncing the alleged corruption cases involving the group linked with them. Lago's campaign material was shared with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, although Lula declared his public support for Roseana Sarney. His election was celebrated as a victory against the 40-year rule of the Sarney oligarchy in the state.^[2]

 Repeal

Lago was accused by the coalition of the defeated candidate of committing electoral crimes, such as abuse of power and buying votes, during the elections of 2006. On March 2, 2009, the Supreme Electoral Court tried a lawsuit by the coalition of the defeated candidate Roseana Sarney and decided, by 5-2 votes, to revoke the terms of both Lago and Luiz Carlos Porto, the vice-governor of Maranhão and a member of the Popular Socialist Party. Contrary to what the Electoral law demands , the holding of new elections^{[citation needed]} , the Court instead decided that the candidate who placed second in the elections would assume the vacated office.
On April 16, 2009, the Supreme Federal Court in denying all appeals confirmed the repeal of both the Lago and Porto mandates. It also confirmed that Roseana Sarney would assume office. However, Lago refused to leave the Palácio dos Leões, the seat of government. On April 18, he left the palace with members of his party and even of Lula's Workers' Party, in addition to members of social movements such as the Landless Workers' Movement, and led a march to the local seat of the Democratic Labour Party. There, he promised his supporters to continue his political career. He lost the 2010 gubernatorial election overwhelmingly, taking third place with 19.5% of the vote, while Sarney was re-elected.

Death

Jackson Lago died of prostate cancer on April 4, 2011 in São Paulo at the age of 76.^[6]

Family

Lago was married with Maria Moreira Clay Lago, also a doctor, with whom he had three children. Maria Clay was the State Secretary of Human Solidarity during the term of governor José Reinaldo Tavares, after his rupture with the Sarney family in May 2004.

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Ned McWherter, American politician, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1973–1987) and Governor (1987–1995), died from cancer he was , 80

Ned Ray McWherter was an American politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee from 1987 to 1995 died from cancer he was , 80.^[1] He was a Democrat.
McWherter was born in Palmersville, in Tennessee's northwest corner.^[2] He was a member of the United Methodist Church, McWherter served for 21 years in the Tennessee National Guard before retiring with the rank of captain.

(October 15, 1930 – April 4, 2011)

Early political career

McWherter began his political career in 1968 when he won a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives from Weakley County. After only serving two terms in the General Assembly, he was elected Speaker of the House. He held this position for 14 years, longer than anyone in Tennessee history at that time.^[2] During his time in the legislature, he served in the following areas: State Building Commission, Joint Fiscal Review Committee, the Council on Pensions and Retirement, the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial Development Commission, and the State Agri-Industries Board. He was also the chairman of the House Calendar and Rules Committee, the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee and the House General Welfare Committee.

Statewide office

In 1986 McWherter won a spirited^{[citation needed]} primary over Public Service Commissioner Jane Eskind and Nashville mayor Richard Fulton for the Democratic nomination for governor. He faced former Republican governor Winfield Dunn in what was initially considered one of the hotter races of the 1986 cycle. However, Dunn's campaign stalled when 1st District Congressman Jimmy Quillen, the de facto leader of the Republican Party in East Tennessee, refused to support Dunn and encouraged several prominent East Tennessee Republicans to withhold their support as well. Quillen had never forgiven Dunn for his opposition to a medical school at East Tennessee State University. Without significant support in East Tennessee for Dunn, McWherter was virtually assured of election in November. Dunn was able only to hold McWherter's victory margin to just under nine points due to strong support from his former base in Memphis. While several former state House speakers have risen to the governorship, McWherter is the only person to hold that post right up to the time he was elected governor.
During his first term, McWherter insisted that all formal governmental proceedings be open to the public and press, thus implementing the spirit, as well as the letter, of the "sunshine law" he had helped to author and sponsor while a member of the House. He had opened doors to minority groups in Tennessee as Speaker by appointing the first black committee chairmen in Southern history and assisted women into influential leadership roles in the legislature. His "21st Century Schools" education reform program launched similar programs in other states and his replacement of the Medicaid program with the TennCare system gained national attention. As governor, he also served nationally and local on councils and committees including the board of governors, Council of State Governments, the Executive Committees of the Southern Conference, the Weakley County Head Start Program and the Executive Committee of the Northwest Tennessee Economic Development District. [[ In 1990, McWherter was invited to speak at a chapel service at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee at the request of his life-long friend, E. Claude Gardner, then President of the University.
He was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in 1990, carrying approximately two-thirds of the vote over the essentially token candidacy of the Republican nominee, first-term state representative Dwight Henry. (Many prominent Tennessee Republicans actually supported McWherter for re-election, some tacitly, others fairly openly.) A tax study commission appointed during his first term reported at the beginning of his second, recommending a state income tax be implemented. An income tax has long been considered the third rail of Tennessee politics. McWherter gave the idea lukewarm support at first, but the idea was eventually dropped entirely, not to resurface again during his time as governor.
During McWherter's second term, Senator Al Gore was elected Vice President, thus creating a vacancy in the Senate. McWherter appointed his deputy governor, Harlan Matthews, to serve as U.S. Senator until the 1994 election.

Post-Governorship

McWherter would have been an overwhelming favorite for a third term if he had been permitted to run for one by the state constitution; when asked about this, he stated that he would not have run for another term even if it had been permissible. Following the end of his second term as governor in 1995, McWherter was appointed to the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service by President Bill Clinton. McWherter lived the remainder of his life in Tennessee, where he was very active in the Tennessee Democratic Party. His business holdings included several nursing homes and a beer distributorship.
McWherter was married to the late Bette Jean Beck McWherter, who died in 1973, and is the father of two children. His son Michael Ray McWherter is a businessman and was a candidate in the 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial race, and his daughter Linda Ramsey is a doctor of physical education at the University of Tennessee at Martin.^[3] He funded the construction of the library at the University of Memphis and the Learning Resources Center at Middle Tennessee State University, and both both buildings have been named in his honor.
McWherter died on April 4, 2011 in a Nashville hospital where he was being treated for cancer .^[4] He was 80 years old.

 

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