Harold Brazil | |
---|---|
Member of the Council of the District of Columbia at-large | |
In office January 2, 1997 – January 2, 2005 | |
Preceded by | John L. Ray |
Succeeded by | Kwame R. Brown |
Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 6 | |
In office January 2, 1991 – January 2, 1997 | |
Preceded by | Nadine Winter |
Succeeded by | Sharon Ambrose |
Personal details | |
Born | Harold Brazil December 13, 1947 |
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse | Crystal Palmer [1] |
Alma mater |
Ohio State University
B.A.,
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center L.L.M. |
Occupation | Attorney, politician |
Harold Brazil (born December 13, 1947 [2] [3]) is a former attorney and Democratic politician in Washington, D.C.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, [3] Brazil graduated from Bishop Hartley High School. [4] Brazil earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Juris Doctor from Ohio State University and an L.L.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.
Brazil moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a law clerk for Robert M. Duncan, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. [4] [5] Brazil later served as a United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1978 to 1980. [6] Brazil worked in the office of Senator John Glenn between 1980 and 1984. [6] [7] In 1984, Brazil began working as a lobbyist for Pepco. [8] [9] Brazil was a member of the D.C. General Hospital Commission in 1989. [10]
After resigning from his position at Pepco, Brazil announced his candidacy to represent Ward 6 on the Council of the District of Columbia in April 1990. [8] Brazil ran against Nadine Winter, the four-term incumbent. [11] Brazil supported increasing penalties for repeat offenders and violent criminals and increasing funding for law enforcement officers. [12] The editorial board of The Washington Post endorsed Brazil's candidacy. [13]
Brazil won the Democratic primary election, with 43 percent of the vote. [14] Brazil advanced to the general election, where he was on the ballot with the D.C. Statehood Party's candidate, R. Bradford McMahon. [15] [16] Brazil won the general election, [17] with 93 percent of the vote. [18] Brazil served from 1991 to 2005, first representing Ward 6 and then as an at-large member. [19] [20]
In 2004, Kwame R. Brown challenged Brazil's reelection campaign. Brown criticized Brazil for treating his Council position as a part-time job and serving as a rubber stamp for the Mayor. [21] Brown won the Democratic Party primary election with 54 percent of the vote, compared to Brazil's 32 percent. [22]
In October 2008, Brazil and two women entered a tattoo shop in Georgetown. [23] One woman went to the back to get a tattoo, but the shopkeeper said that rules prohibited the other woman to go with her. [23] According to Brazil, Brazil objected, and the shopkeeper became rude, cursed Brazil, called him a racial slur, and beat him so much that he required medical treatment for his injuries. [23] The shopkeeper said Brazil was the one who became belligerent, cursed the shopkeeper, and then urinated on the floor. [23] In May 2009, Brazil was convicted of assault. [24] The judge sentenced Brazil to 90 days of imprisonment, but the judge suspended the sentence on the condition that Brazil completes six months of unsupervised probation. [24]
On July 1, 2014, the District of Columbia Bar admonished Brazil for improperly safeguarding clients' property, failure to represent a client diligently, and failure to act with reasonable promptness in representing a client. [25] On January 18, 2018, he was disbarred by consent. [26]