Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Bryan's neighbors, co-workers dumbfounded by tragedy

In private and public life, family was the key thread in Bryan's life.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN, CRISTINA SILVA and JACOB H. FRIES, Times Staff Writers
Published September 8, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT The death of John Bryan Friday morning in family court, St. Petersburg Council Chairman John Bryan agreed to stay away from his teenage daughters. Early in the afternoon, he resigned from the Council. And at roughly 5:45 p.m., he was found dead at a home he owned in Citrus County, slumped in a golf cart in the garage with a riding mower running. Read the story Bryan's neighbors, co-workers dumbfounded Those who knew him remember him warmly A council in transition faces a "big shock" Download Bryan's resignation letter (PDF)

Then, a week and a half ago, Bryan stopped Bedell in the street. Bryan hadn't been around much lately and seemed to be apologizing.

"He said he did something to mess up his relationship with Alicia, and he and Alicia were getting divorced," Bedell recalled on Friday. "You could tell the man was taken aback."

To most, Bryan was a consummate family man who adopted unwanted children and gave them a home.

He was the impromptu grand marshal of the neighborhood Halloween parade who spoiled his adopted daughters: a trip to New York, personal watercraft, a golf cart, a new bedroom. Their picture was the highlight of his office.

Bryan also was considered the City Council's family man, supporting expansions to parks and pools.

None of it hinted at the darker figure that emerged on Friday, leaving friends and colleagues with questions about the John Bryan they thought they knew.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me," said Bob Kersteen, a former City Council member. "It's just so unreal."

* * *

Allegations came during a court hearing Friday morning that Bryan sexually abused two of his adopted daughters, ages 12 and 15, as well as his former nanny, whom he had also adopted.

Hours later, he was found in the garage of his Floral City house, dead from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The series of events Friday shattered long-held impressions of Bryan, 56.

"It just sounded so out of character," said council member Rene Flowers. "It was like they were talking about a different person."

The John Bryan that Flowers and her colleagues grew to admire was devoted to two things: his family and helping the children of St. Petersburg.

He fought for more ball fields, dog parks and skate parks along with improvements to city pools and recreation centers.

Bryan had five children in all, two adult children from a previous marriage and the three he adopted.

Bedell recalled the holidays his family spent with Bryan, how their children had played side by side, how he had always seemed a committed city servant.

"I was shocked," said Bedell, 37, a computer engineer. "He was a really great City Council member."

* * *

What went through Bryan's head, sitting in court, as he listened to the allegations?

Guilt?

Shame?

Fear?

Those who were told about the court hearing said they heard that he hardly moved and kept his head down.

Did he already plan to commit suicide when he delivered his letter of resignation?

The city attorney who accepted it said he hardly spoke.

What drove him to take his own life?

Was this savior of children actually a predator of innocence?

Sheriff's deputies in Citrus County said Bryan left a note, but they did not release it on Friday.

* * *

Bryan had been a forceful advocate for the foster care system.

He co-chaired the Stakeholder's Group, a board that offers oversight to the foster care system. He also has sat on a Pinellas-Pasco board of the Sarasota YMCA, which oversees foster care services in the two counties.

On both boards, he was known as an "adoption advocate," said Lee Johnson, executive vice president of the Sarasota Y.

When told of the news, Johnson said: "I wish it weren't true."

Lately, Bryan had turned his attention to the Heart Gallery, a nonprofit group that promoted adoption.

The group opened a roving gallery that showcased portraits of children in Pinellas and Pasco counties up for adoption. The portraits accompanied the children's voices, who spoke of their hopes to find a permanent home.

* * *

To the end, Bryan left few clues about his mounting problems.

He attended a Mahaffey Theater reception for a new Progress Energy executive Aug. 27 and seemed fine, observers said.

Darden Rice, a local community activist, said she meet with Bryan last week, and he was joking about the coming election. "I certainly couldn't tell anything was amiss," she said.

While meeting with a St. Petersburg Times reporter on Wednesday, Bryan said he had to miss a county meeting to spend time with his daughter. He said she had been performing poorly in school.

On Thursday, Bryan also missed a regularly scheduled City Council meeting. A city spokesman said she had not been told the reason.

"I would never have dreamed that this sort of thing could have been ongoing and ongoing for a period of years and not just months. He didn't fit that mold at all," said Kersteen, who considers himself Bryan's friend. "He fit the mold of a happy father. He was very pleased to have his adopted daughters be his own. "

When Kersteen heard the news on television, he turned to his wife.

All they could do was kneel in prayer.

Staff writers Abhi Raghunathan, Curtis Krueger, Caryn Baird, and Chris Tisch contributed to this report. Aaron Sharockman can be reached at asharockman@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2273.

[Last modified September 8, 2007, 01:55:20]