Mable Butler , a fierce advocate and trailblazer who became the first Black woman elected to both the Orlando City Council and the Orange County Commission, has died at age 98.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other city leaders remembered her legacy as the news broke over the weekend of her death following an illness.

“With the passing of Commissioner Mable Butler, Orlando has lost a legendary community leader,” Dyer wrote on X . “Commissioner Butler will be incredibly missed, but leaves a lasting legacy.”

A social worker and political activist, Butler decided to run for office. She had a reputation for being blunt and wasn’t afraid of confrontation or using what the Orlando Sentinel called salty language.

“May those who love us, love us,” Butler once said publicly, according to

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