John Coleman, 63, veteran political activist and Broward
County coordinator for Wesley Clark, collapsed and died
Thursday night shortly after campaigning for Clark at the Fort
Lauderdale Democratic Club. Coleman was a former City
Commissioner of Hollywood, Florida, longtime president of the
Hollywood Democratic Club and a Democratic leader for South
Florida. The Miami Herald reports that Coleman was walking out of
the meeting with Cooper City Mayor Suellen Fardelmann when he
became dizzy and collapsed suffering an apparent heart attack..
Coleman was known for sending out two Christmas cards: one with a
photo of his large brood of grandchildren and another with his
favored political candidates. One year, it was gubernatorial
candidate Janet Reno. This past holiday season, it was
presidential contender Wesley Clark. Just last month, he paid his
own way to snowy New Hampshire to campaign for Clark for a few
days. On the day he died, he left early from a meeting of the
Century Village Democratic Club in Pembroke Pines to trek to Palm
Beach County to protest a fundraising trip by President George W.
Bush. At about 7:15 p.m., he collapsed as he was leaving another
Democratic club meeting in Fort Lauderdale. The day was a typical
Coleman marathon of political activities.
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