Mark Foley, Mayor Of West Palm Beach?

Former GOP Rep. Mark Foley, who resigned in 2006 after it was revealed that he'd sent lewd text messages to male congressional pages, is considering running for mayor of West Palm Beach, Florida.

On Wednesday, Foley confirmed that friends and colleagues have gauged his interest in the wide-open mayoral race that so far has just two official candidates in Commissioners Jeri Muoio and Molly Douglas. Foley said he is still a long way from running for elected office, but he wouldn’t rule out the mayoral run. “I keep hearing the buzz,” Foley said. “But there’s no plan in place.” Foley said he’s not sure what other potential candidates, especially Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell, are planning. Mitchell and Foley are long-time friends, and if she decides not to run, it could open up a spot for Foley. Despite Foley’s baggage from the page scandal that forced him to resign his US Congressional seat in 2007, Foley has reemerged on the political scene as a fundraiser and host of a local radio show.

A refresher of one of Foley's text message exchanges:

Maf54 (8:08:31 PM): get a ruler and measure it for me

Xxxxxxxxx (8:08:38 PM): ive already told you that

Maf54 (8:08:47 PM): tell me again

Xxxxxxxxx (8:08:49 PM): 7 and 1/2

Maf54 (8:09:04 PM): ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Maf54 (8:09:08 PM): beautiful

Xxxxxxxxx (8:09:38 PM): lol

Maf54 (8:09:44 PM): thats a great size

Xxxxxxxxx (8:10:00 PM): thank you

Maf54 (8:10:22 PM): still stiff

Xxxxxxxxx (8:10:28 PM): ya

Maf54 (8:10:40 PM): take it out

Xxxxxxxxx (8:10:54 PM): brb...my mom is yelling

Slain AIDS Activist's Memorial This Sunday

A memorial service for slain AIDS activist Michael "La La" Brown will be held this Sunday at 6:30PM at Bryant Park in Lake Worth, Florida. The park is also host that day to Palm Beach County's Pridefest, for whom Brown was a recent Grand Marshall. Brown, 50, was a beloved bon vivant, a pillar of the South Florida gay community, and was adored by the patrons of H.G. Roosters, his gay bar where he hosted innumerable charity events over the last 20 years.

Brown was murdered in his home last week (presumably) by the man with whom he'd had a tumultuous relationship for several years. The killer stayed in Brown's home for two days after the murder, answering Brown's phone and walking his dogs. He then hung himself on a bedroom door. Police found both bodies when Brown's concerned employees reported him missing.

The NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt, for whom Brown served on the South Florida board of directors, offers this remembrance:

This week The NAMES Project Foundation lost a long-time volunteer and dear friend, Michael Brown. With a generous spirit and an unwavering commitment to community, Michael was always there, ready to step in and help at a moment's notice. He was loved by many and will be missed by all of us.

NOTE: Pridefest organizers plan to discontinue their admission charge an hour before the end of the event, in order that mourners attending the memorial not be charged to enter Bryant Park.

UPDATE: Tony Plakas of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has written a lovely tribute to Michael Brown, his close friend. The column also ruminates on gay bar culture and how a single saloon such as Brown's H.G.Roosters, run by the right person, can become the soul and spirit of a small town gay community.

FL Gay Activist Michael Brown Murdered

Beloved South Florida gay bar owner and AIDS activist Michael Brown, 50, was found murdered in his West Palm Beach home on Friday. Brown's presumed killer, Brant Hines, 27, stayed in Brown's home for two days after the murder before hanging himself on a bedroom door. Brown and Hines had had a turbulent off and on relationship for several years.

Michael Brown, owner of H.G. Roosters, a bar that has been a gathering spot for the city's gay community for more than two decades, died of blows to the head and multiple stab wounds, an autopsy showed. Police say he was the murder victim in an apparent homicide and suicide in his Flagler Drive apartment Friday evening.

The other man found dead in the apartment, Brant Hines, 27, apparently killed Brown late Wednesday or early Thursday, when a neighbor heard shouting and crashing. Hines was seen with a black eye the following day, when he answered the door of Brown's apartment, and when he walked Brown's two dogs. He answered the telephone Wednesday afternoon and said that Brown was not available when someone from H.G. Rooster's called, police said. Calls on Thursday were not answered.

Brown, known to countless friends and acquaintances as "La La", served on the board of directors for the South Florida chapter of the NAMES Project, touring the AIDS Memorial Quilt to such far-flung international destinations as Capetown, South Africa, as well as all over the United States. While touring the Quilt, Brown was often accompanied by fellow NAMES Project board member Jerry Suarez, who is a dear friend of mine.

Yesterday Jerry told me, "Michael felt a tremendous responsibility as a gay man, somebody who saw many friends die, to dedicate his life to AIDS awareness and to work for the betterment of gay people everywhere." In 2007, Brown received the Fundraiser Extraordinaire Award from the Comprehensive AIDS Program of Palm Beach County

BELOW: Jerry Suarez, Michael Brown, and Eileen Horan at a 2004 NAMES Project display in Washington, DC.
BELOW: A slideshow of the candlelight vigil and remembrance held Saturday at H.G. Roosters in West Palm Beach, via Wes Blackburn's blog post, Good-Bye La-La.

PERSONAL: I first met Michael in the late 80's when I was working in West Palm Beach, but living in Fort Lauderdale, and would occasionally stop by Rooster's for a drink on my way home. Even though I was an infrequent patron, "La La" always knew my name and would charm me with with a joke and a big smile. Several years later I got to know him better when my new job in the music industry (working for Jerry Suarez) brought me into daily contact with the folks working for the NAMES Project. Michael was a big man with a big heart and his untimely end is a terrible loss for the LGBT people of South Florida. A book of condolences is being hosted by the Palm Beach Post. Make your remembrance of Michael Brown here.