BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Birmingham City Council President Maxine Parker died this afternoon.

Parker died at Princeton Baptist Medical Center this afternoon after being hospitalized for a few days.

Parker just last month began her third term on the council and was voted as council president.

Mayor William Bell issued a statement offering his condolences to the family, and praise for Parker's dedication. Bell later said councilwoman set a new standard for advocacy and representation for her district.

"She worked tirelessly and faithfully for the people of District 4. I was with her family at the time of her passing and I want them to know that the city of Birmingham is with them as they grieve the loss of such an outstanding mother, councilor and friend. This is a sad day for our city."

In her honor, Bell said flags on all city buildings would be lowered to half staff.

Parker's rise to the council presidency shocked political observers and City Hall insiders who hadn't counted the soft-spoken woman known for her trademark lapel flower pins as a strong contender.

She fooled them all.

Parker welcomed her title as a dark horse candidate, saying she was more interested in furthering a progressive agenda more than she was interested in making headlines.

"I want a leader who can bring all 10 chairs together, especially the nine on the council side, and I haven't seen that," she told AL.com/The Birmingham News in a story before the vote Oct. 22.

Before winning her post as president, Parker earned a certification in parliamentary procedure from the Alabama League of Municipalities.

As president, Parker said she wanted to offer balanced leadership on the dais and said she has the ability to represent the council, while at the same time maintaining a professional rapport across the aisle with the mayor.

"Obviously it's a very good day for the council, and I think they made the right choice," she told AL.com the day the day of her swearing in. "You'll see a change in the way we do business at City Hall and I believe we can do better than what we were doing."

On the council, Parker earned a reputation for lobbying for revitalization and industrial cleanup in her district, which includes northern Birmingham.

While a vote for her as president was a vote for centrism on the dais, Parker didn't shy away from issues important to her.

"Ms. Parker was a very graceful woman, but she was a woman who was very determined in what she wanted," Bell said this afternoon.

Even off the dais, most council members referred to Parker as "Ms. Parker," as a sign of respect.

Parker, 69, never divulged her age in public, only calling herself as "senior" when pressed.

"Councilor Parker just brought a genuine and sincere leadership to the council," said Councilwoman Sheila Tyson. "We all lost a mentor and a friend today."

Throughout her tenure, Parker has battled, negotiated and compromised with both her council colleagues and the mayor on several initiatives, including environmental legal contracts, matching funds for a railroad overpass and authority on the Park and Recreation Board.

"She was very deliberate, very intentional," said Councilman Steven Hoyt. "She was always with the people, and that is important for us as elected officials, don't forget the people."

Before joining the council, she was a longtime Collegeville neighborhood president and worked for 40 years as an assistant to the president at Talladega College.

Collegeville and North Birmingham remained a strong focus during her tenure.

Parker helped secure matching money to build a long-discussed railroad overpass in Collegeville. Both the local and state funds are in place, and work on the $10.1 million bridge is set to begin in February.

The bridge is designed to give relief to residents who are often boxed inside their neighborhood by trains that serve nearby heavy industries.

"How do we make what's wrong with our North Birmingham Community right? That's where we are today," Parker told the YMBC Civic Forum last month.

Parker was also a major advocate for government intervention regarding environmental pollution in the Collegeville, Harriman Park, North Birmingham and Fairmont neighborhoods.

Those communities along 35th Avenue were eventually declared a federal superfund, a designation that gives the EPA broad authority to investigate and clean industrial pollution.

"At this moment the city is definitely at a loss and a day of mourning is in order. "Ms. Parker's passing gives true meaning to the statement 'the city has lost a great champion and friend," said former councilman and council president Roderick Royal. "Of all of the council members that I have served with, there has not been a more productive nor courageous fighter."

The cleanup in northern Birmingham was highlighted as an example of successful government and community partnerships at a national conference last summer.

Parker in July was a presenter at an EPA conference in Boston where she talked about the successes and challenges of environmental work in her community.

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"She was a woman who was very passionate," said Councilman Jay Roberson. "She was a woman who was very loving. She was a woman who really cared."

Parker is survived by her son, William.