Senior not allowed to lead off parade

TACOMA – In a quarter-century of leading this city’s Daffodil Festival parade, D.W. Brown has chauffeured dignitaries of all stripes – famous artists, four-star generals, even Minnie Mouse. But he’s never squired around a sitting governor.

After a demotion by security-minded state troopers, he’ll have to wait at least one more year.

Brown, an 81-year-old former private eye, was booted from his customary first slot in last weekend’s parade after the Washington State Patrol told organizers he was too old to be Gov. Chris Gregoire’s driver.

Instead of leading the procession, Brown found himself and his 1948 Jaguar convertible in slot No. 22, carrying Deputy Mayor Mike Lonergan.

“I felt bad about it mainly because I told so many people that I was driving the governor, and the next thing you know, I’m not driving her anymore,” Brown told the News Tribune. “Everybody was asking me, even today, ‘How was it driving the governor?’ “

Brown was set to chauffeur Gregoire, a Democrat serving her first term, until a few days before the event when state officials asked for the name and birthdate of Gregoire’s driver. A parade representative called Brown the next day to break the bad news.

Darlene McCallum, the festival’s president, said state officials did not have a firm age limit in mind in rejecting Brown as Gregoire’s driver.

“I just know that they wanted somebody younger,” McCallum said. “Of course they’re concerned that an older person could have a heart attack or something if there were shots fired or some kind of emergency.”

Capt. Jeff DeVere, the State Patrol’s top spokesman, said he wasn’t aware of age protocols for parades or private drivers, but added that the situation is different each time the governor travels.

“Our guys are faced with making decisions about the governor’s safety on a daily basis,” he said.

Brown’s wife, who admits to being “a little partial, of course,” said there was blatant age bias in the decision.

“It really made me extremely unhappy,” Sharon Brown said. “He was still in the parade, but not where he should have been. He’s always at the beginning of the parade.”

Gregoire was the first governor to participate in the parade since Booth Gardner. She and husband Mike ended up walking the parade’s 10-block route, with the car assigned to them following behind, McCallum said.

Lars Erickson, a spokesman for Gregoire, said the governor wasn’t aware of Brown’s demotion until she saw the story in the newspaper. Erickson said Gregoire planned to call Brown from Washington, D.C., where she was meeting with federal officials.

Brown didn’t have much time to dwell on his disappointment. Unlike most men his age, he was headed to another week at the office – he works as a paralegal for a Tacoma law firm.

“I’m a healthy 81, I tell ya,” Brown said. “Wouldn’t that be something, to sue the state for age discrimination?”