| abstract | - Leah Brown (b. April 30, 1961) is the present leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands in the West Mainland state legislature, and subsequently Leader of the Opposition in that state. She formerly was Treasurer (finance minister) in the LDP state government led by Gary Pateman. She has been Opposition Leader since 2004, defeating Pateman for the position. Image:Leah Brown.jpg Brown was born in Zigit in 1961. She did not attend university, as her mother died in 1977 and Brown needed to begin earning money to support her six siblings. She initially worked as a shop steward, but in the 1980s began working for the federal public service, at the Georgeland Foreign Office as a clerk, and later as a project officer. In 1989 she married Greg Seegert, a Labour staffer, who encouraged her to join the Labour Party. She continued to work as a public servant until 1994, when she was elected to the Mainland state legislature for Labour - she became a Liberal in 1999. In 2000, when the state of West Mainland came into existence, she was made Minister for Education; she was promoted to Treasurer in 2002. She continued in this role until the government's defeat in 2004. Brown initially supported Chief Minister Tom Southwell but after Gary Pateman's first challenge to his leadership, she switched loyalties. It was said she was Pateman's preferred successor. However, after the election, Pateman announced his intention to remain leader - Brown challenged him in the party room and won the leadership 20 votes to 18. Brown as Opposition Leader has not made much ground against the popular government, but no obvious successors have presented themselves. She announced on August 6, 2006, that she had 'every intention' of contesting the 2008 state election. Brown was criticised by some sections of the community for refusing to support the introduction of proportional representation in the referendum of 2006. Some suggested that her lack of support was the reason the referendum failed. It is LDP policy to oppose proportional representation. She did support the change from an elected Governor to an appointed one, a measure which passed.
|
