Bill Leary runs for Seat 4

Historic City News local editor Michael Gold interviewed St. Augustine resident William Lavern Leary yesterday; over morning coffee with a group of businessmen interested in learning more about Leary’s bid for the St. Augustine City Commission Seat 4.

60 year-old Leary, and his wife, Karen Jurgensen, moved to St. Augustine in February 2005. They live in north city’s Fullerwood subdivision at 28 East Park Avenue.

Although he was born in New York, Leary moved with his family to Duval County at the age of two. Leary says that he visited St. Augustine many times on school trips, and, as a young boy, he told us that he once kicked up an arrowhead playing in the moat of the fort. Leary told me that he graduated from Jean Ribault High School on Jacksonville’s Northside.

After high school, Leary moved around a bit; but, wound up in Tallahassee where he studied in the FSU undergraduate program in hospitality management. “The hotel business wasn’t for me,” Leary said. “I went back to the FSU College of Law … I was interested in environmental law”.

For many years Leary wrote legislation for the Florida House of Representatives. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1992 and worked for the U. S. Senate and Department of the Interior before transferring to an assignment at the White House.

There he advised Presidents Clinton and Bush on water and wetlands policy and the restoration of major ecosystems, such as the Everglades, Great Lakes and coastal Louisiana. He also chaired the American Heritage Rivers Program, which includes the St. Johns River.

Leary retired from his position as Director of Natural Resources for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

At the suggestion of Don Crichlow, whose seat on the St. Augustine City Commission Leary is hoping to claim, Leary applied for a vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Board only a few months after moving to town. “I didn’t feel comfortable doing that so soon after moving here but Don charmed me by saying that even he might not vote for me,” Leary said. “It was hard to argue with his honesty, and, to my surprise, they took a chance and voted me on”.

Leary wrote in a letter describing his reasons for seeking this seat that, at first, he had no agenda, but now, he does. “It is the combination of the extraordinary way my wife and I have been welcomed into St. Augustine since we moved here, our own desire to become involved in our community, and the lessons I have learned in talking to people about our city, its history, and the issues we face, that has led me to this decision.”

I asked Leary what he thought about sitting on a board where the majority could be freshmen — after all, in addition to Seat 4, Nancy Sikes-Kline and Mayor Joe Boles are running to retain their seats. Leary gave his point of view as follows, “I promise to never dishonor the office I seek. I will not shy away from important issues. I will listen; really listen, to all sides before making a decision. I will not be a vote for any one interest nor simply vote the view of the last voice I hear. I greatly respect the knowledge and expertise of city staff, but will remain as independent as I have been on the PZB. Issues will divide my friends and supporters as well as those who do not support me. You may not always agree with my position, but you will always know why I am voting the way I am and that I listened to your point of view.”

Leary concluded by saying, “I love our town. I want to help make it all it can be and all you want it to be. In the months ahead, I will seek your support, your trust, and your vote.”

Photo credit: © 2010 Historic City News staff photograph