The principles in the 1959 Bucknell University intramural boxing finals squared off in the middleweight championship match. One of the pugilists was a running back on the Bisons’ football team. His opponent was a student with a keen interest in government who would do more than his share of in-fighting during the next 60 years.
The winner by decision that day was Merrett Stierheim, better known to residents here as the iconic County Manager of Miami-Dade’s government, the City Manager of Miami and the former Superintendent of the county school system. Throughout his long and storied career, he has been known variously as the Father of Metrorail and Metromover, the creative force behind the construction of Metrozoo and the hero who pulled the county together during the McDuffie riots. As Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin put it, “Merrett laid the foundation for our future when he implemented the Decade of Progress bonds. He is an inspirational leader.”
Along the way this fiesty, visionary known for his frank—and occasionally blunt—style, clashed with Jeb Bush (on charter schools), Jesse Jackson (standing up to him during the worst McDuffie days), bureaucrats and school board members. “A great public servant without a hint of scandal,” was the way one veteran media manager characterized Stierheim’s career.
Before college Stierheim was a First Lieutenant Navigator in the Air Force. He graduated from Bucknell and earned a scholarship to the prestigious Wharton School where he earned a masters degree in Governmental Administration, graduating third in his class.
In 1959 Stierheim interned for six months at the City of Miami, moved up quickly to Assistant City Manager, became City Manager of Clearwater until 1973 and served three more years as Pinellas County’s Administrator.
Stierhiem earned a reputation as a turnaround specialist – a “fixer.” And it was about this time that Miami-Dade County government needed fixing. Serving under Mayor Steve Clark, the energetic Stierheim quickly took charge. He supervised a $5 billion infrastructure expansion, dealt with the community assimilation of more than 160,000 refugees from Cuba and Haiti, and in a televised faceoff in 1980 with angry citizens at the Caleb Center during the severe civil disturbances roiling the city, Stierhiem was reassuring but tough.
Two of his proudest achievements were during his six year stint as the CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. Stierheim established the Bureau’s first dedicated advertising fund (over $5 million) and created the separate Beacon Council, which became an engine for local economic development.
Stierheim wasn’t done yet, returning to county service in 1998, becoming County Manager for a second time and got operations back on track.
By 2001, another large Miami-Dade institution was in trouble, the Miami-Dade schools. Superintendent Roger Cuevas was involved in a land acquisition scandal; the school board sought out Stierheim to come to the rescue. And this time the fixer-in-chief came face-to face with a “politically-ridden” system (Stierheim’s words).
Over the last 20 years Stierheim has also been hired (often on a pro bono basis) to salvage troubled city government operations in the City of Miami, Opa Locka, Miami Lakes and Doral.
He is 85 now, has nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His wife Judy is no slouch when it comes to public service. Among her leadership positions were President of the Miami-Dade County League of Women Voters and Chairman of the Urban League of Greater Miami.
Stierheim is nearing the homestretch on a book encapsulating his long career in government and public service. I would like to suggest an apt title for this book: In This Corner, Merrett Stierheim.
About the Author
Bob Goldstein is a retired broadcaster and advertising executive who has lived in South Florida for more than forty years. He is a veteran political activist (dsdcfl.org) and a member of the South Florida Writers Association. If you would like to comment on Bob’s columns, send your response by email to robertgrimm62@yahoo.com.
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