Wishing Mylander smooth sailing

By BILL STEVENS

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 13, 2000

In 16 years as Hernando County sheriff, Tom Mylander has earned a reputation for professionalism. He is retiring on top, never having felt the sting of an election loss -- unless, of course, you count the one in 1980.

"In some ways, it still seems like only yesterday," he said last week. "It was difficult to swallow, but in many ways it marked a turning point, as it showed the old guard was losing its grip on political power."

The current presidential nail-biter has many of us recalling similar close elections and realizing again why we so often hear that "every vote counts." My favorite was in the October 1980 primary in Hernando, when former New York state trooper Frank Bierwiler shocked the entrenched incumbent sheriff, Melvin Kelly, by 216 votes after all the precincts were counted.

"Tom called me all excited and said, "Hey, Frank, we won!' " recalled Bierwiler, now 62. "But by the time I could get from Spring Hill to Brooksville, the absentee ballots had been counted."

He lost by 24 votes.

For days, Bierwiler challenged the results as best he could. "We found one old guy who had voted absentee for Melvin," he recalled. "The man was comatose at Lykes Memorial Hospital. It fueled our suspicions, but we didn't really have anything to support them.

"I wanted to be sheriff very badly, but the Lord had other plans for me. I always figured he let me down easy. I could have been beaten by 24,000 votes."

The population boom along Hernando's west coast has dramatically changed the political landscape, but in 1980 control centered in the board room of the old Hernando State Bank. "They sure didn't want some Yankee state trooper coming down here and taking over the Sheriff's Office," said Bierwiler.

During the campaign, he became friends with Mylander, a former Pinellas County deputy who had gained a unique insight into the workings of Kelly's department. After an inmate was severely beaten in the jail and later committed suicide rather than return, Gov. Bob Graham's staff examined allegations of mismanagement and brokered a solution. Mylander would serve as major of administration and another former Pinellas cop would be captain. Kelly would move to an office in the courthouse and leave the day-to-day operations to these men.

That lasted only about four weeks when Kelly reinstated his former top officers as he campaigned for re-election. "It didn't come as a great surprise," Mylander recalled, "because Melvin and his boys always thought of us as carpetbaggers from Pinellas. He just ignored the deal he had with the governor's people." Mylander quit and started helping Bierwiler get elected.

Mylander and Bierwiler described how uncomfortable it was for them during the campaign, especially in Brooksville.

"Melvin's people would talk to me, but only if nobody was around," Bierwiler said. "You didn't want to be seen with Frank Bierwiler, that's for sure."

After the election, Bierwiler founded Daystar, a non-profit center that helps poor people, and Mylander joined the aviation department at the Pasco Sheriff's Office. In 1984, Mylander defeated John Wolf, who had been chosen by the Brooksville power base to succeed Kelly.

"For a while it looked like a replay of Frank's election," Mylander said. "It went down to six or seven in the morning. The lights went out, counters broke. Melvin offered to put ballots in his safe and I said, "No way.' They did a recount and I ended up with 300-plus votes more.

"They had been so confident that Wolf would win, they had a cake that said, "Congratulations Sheriff Wolf.' They scraped it off and fed the cake to inmates."

I was a reporter and editor for the Times in Brooksville when Mylander took over the administrative leadership of the sheriff's department in 1980. It had been difficult to cover the news, as Kelly's men treated the department like it was their personal fiefdom. They laughed at public records requests. But Mylander was much more open and responsive, and so naturally we liked him.

In his 16 years as sheriff, Mylander earned the respect of not just journalists, but of his employees and the citizens. The department budget grew along with the county's population, from $3.4-million a year to $17-million. The number of deputies rose from 44 to 190.

Throughout his years, Mylander never changed. He led without dramatics, and was calm and reassuring no matter the situation. The department earned statewide accreditation and a positive reputation, which is the main reason why Mylander's hand-picked successor, Major Rich Nugent, was able to succeed in his own election campaign against a tough, worthy opponent.

In Pasco County, meanwhile, the 8-year incumbent sheriff, Lee Cannon, lost to Bob White, a sergeant with the state Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco and former state trooper. Though Cannon clearly improved the Pasco department, he suffered from a rigid image, often engaging in embarrassing confrontations.

White and Nugent should take note. And Mylander offers this advice:

"The key to success is surrounding yourself with good people. The majority of people will always be loyal, hard workers; they just need somebody fair-minded to lead them. A sheriff has to beware of ego. It can go bananas, and it's something I've fought hard to keep in check.

"I'm invited to a lot of places because I'm the sheriff, not because I'm Tom Mylander. You can count your true friends on one or two hands, and most politicians forget that. The sheriff is a very powerful position, but you should always remember that the same people who put you in there can take you out in a heartbeat."

There will be a few going-away parties for Mylander next month, but you have to wonder whether he will try some other area of public service. He's only 58. Perhaps the Legislature?

"I'll never rule anything out, but it's not likely," he said. "I've never liked politics, but I had to spend an awful lot of time working in Tallahassee with the Legislature. I don't think I'd be happy doing that."

He will be happy sailing his 32-foot sloop, and he still meets Bierwiler for lunch a few times each week. Bierwiler served as Mylander's spokesman for years before retiring, and still works regularly at Daystar.

"I have always looked up to Frank," Mylander said. "He's had some health problems and he's in a wheelchair now, but he never complains. He was courageous years ago and helped change the direction of this county. I'm glad there are still some people who remember that."

Enjoy sailing, Tom, you deserve it.

- Bill Stevens is the Times' North Suncoast editor.

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