Mayor John Peyton’s Chief of Staff Steve Diebenow started his public service career fresh out of the University of Florida’s law school (he also got his undergraduate degree from UF) as a receptionist for Sen. Bob Graham, living off $16,000 a year. Diebenow joined Graham in January of 1995 and stayed on through October of 1996, when he and his wife Ashley moved to Jacksonville. An attorney, he spent several years in private practice with the Rogers Towers law firm before joining Peyton as an original member of his mayoral staff, July 1, 2003, as chief of policy. In November of 2004, he became chief of staff and Adam Hollingsworth was brought in to serve as chief of policy and work with City Council on legislation.
Diebenow is married and has three kids — a son Erich and two daughters, Atlantic and Raleigh.
Diebenow recently met with the editorial staff at the Daily Record to talk about his job, the changes in the mayor’s office, coping with family and career and several other things.
Question: What is a typical day like?
Answer: There are three broad areas that take up a majority of my time. One, I make recommendations on filling various boards and commissions, those that work with City Council and those that are filled by executive order. Two, I handle the day-to-day operations of the mayor’s staff from the office budget to personnel decision to making sure everyone has the right resources to succeed. Three, I spend a lot time on the phone and in meetings with folks in the community to hear what’s important, what’s going well and what isn’t going well. We get feedback on where we are succeeding and what we could modify and do better. I spend a lot of time thinking about various office functions.
Q: So, what is going well according to people and what isn’t?
A: It’s really interesting. Obviously, folks want to talk about Downtown and the greening initiative and other current events they hear about on TV and read about in the paper. The great thing is, there are so many different perspectives. Quite honestly, at the beginning of Mayor Peyton’s term there were so many things in the in-box, things that were unresolved (from Mayor John Delaney’s term). We did not do a good job of reacting to that and getting out in the community. At first, we were frustrated by having such a big in-box, but that was just a function of Audrey Moran (Delaney’s chief of staff) and Mayor Delaney having such a big agenda. It was a sign they did a lot. Reflecting on that, it was a tremendous opportunity for Mayor Peyton to build his team and resolve those issues.
Q: Did you ever feel you were in over your head?
A: No, but the learning curve was much steeper than I anticipated. Personally, it was much more challenging that I anticipated. When I was at Rogers Towers, I was a land use and zoning attorney and one of my jobs was lobbying. I thought that job was political. It wasn’t. It was great training ground for the next level. The great thing about local government is that you get to see results. At the federal level, it’s very frustrating, there are things you never accomplish or are not around to see happen.
Q: What are the differences between practicing law and working in government?
A: The hours are virtually the same. I focused on land use and zoning law for Rogers Towers, so I actually made a lot of the same stops on the political circuit. I’d go to the Land Use and Zoning (City Council committee) meetings, I’d talk to Council members about zoning issues that might affect one of my clients. I was always going to meetings. So the hours are virtually the same, but the pressures are different. Obviously working for the public, the pressure to bill is not there like it is in private practice. But there’s constant pressure to perform your job well for the public. It’s really the same stress level, it’s just a different kind of stress.
Q: As a Jacksonville Bar Association member, how often do you get asked by other members about the Duval County Courthouse?
A: When the mayor was working to get the budget increase and when we were working out our plan for the courthouse complex, I’d get calls every other day from friends, lawyers, judges. You know what’s been lost in all this is that the mayor really fought to increase the budget to get the courthouse built. But now the question I get most is: ‘When will it happen?’
Q: What do you tell them?
A: Right now we’ve got an RFP or an RFQ out to select a firm to develop the guidelines of the plan to build the courthouse... Right now I think we have a target date of about 2010 (to finish). Obviously the mayor’s disappointed too. He’s disappointed that the Better Jacksonville Plan construction budgets haven’t been met. We obviously couldn’t anticipate that commodities prices would double, that a tight labor market would mean you really have to pay a premium to get labor. The mayor’s disappointed that there’s not, that there doesn’t appear to be enough money to build the roads and the courthouse as originally envisioned.
Q: You’re chief of staff, a father of three and a husband — how do you handle such a busy schedule?
A: Not so well sometimes. It’s a challenge. I have a 5 year-old named Erich, a 19 month-old named Atlantic and a 1 month-old named Raleigh. My wife, Ashley, really takes responsibility for the kids.
Q: When you were a law student and a lawyer, did you ever think you’d be the chief of staff for a mayor?
A: I had no idea. I knew I really enjoyed law and I enjoyed politics. After law school I worked as a receptionist for Bob Graham where I was making $16,000 and it was three times as expensive to live (in Washington, D.C.) than here. It was quite an experience. In D.C. I was able to figure out what area of law I wanted to work in and once I got off the phones I got to work in a lot of different policies.
Q: What is the difference between the two jobs?
A: The pressures are different. The public pressure to succeed or fail in public does not exist in law like it does in what I am doing now.
Q: How do you hope to benefit the community being chief of staff?
A: My hope is that I can facilitate current events and provide accurate information to the community about the mayor and to help them understand what his point of view is. It really is an amazing staff. (Diebenow went on to mention several mayoral staffers and what they bring on an individual professional basis.) The talent of the people that the mayor has been able to attract — it’s gratifying to be a part of that team.
Q: Where is the money for the “Big Idea” coming from? (Note: the Big Idea is Peyton’s plan to revitalize and reshape portions of Downtown to include the Landing, the Southbank and Friendship Fountain. Much of the plan focuses on making Downtown greener as well as more pedestrian-friendly.)
A: A combination of sources. The State DOT (Department of Transportation) is providing some funding and the Tree Mitigation Trust Fund will provide some. Other funding will come from one-time sources and some of he private economic development deals. The money generated Downtown will stay Downtown.
Q: Why leave the private sector for the public sector?
A: Mayor Peyton and I became friends through the symphony then while I was at Rogers Towers we were representatives of Gate Land. David Foster of Rogers Towers and Herb Peyton (Gate Petroleum owner and John Peyton’s father) worked together. So, we met through the symphony, but we got to know each other through Rogers Towers. Then we went on a Chamber trip to Nashville in the Fall of 2001 together and that’s when he first mentioned he may run for mayor. He asked if I was interested in working for him. We had common experiences in politics (Peyton had also worked for Graham) and when he asked me to work on the campaign, it was a very easy decision.
Q: How did your work for Sen. Bob Graham help you prepare for your work as Peyton’s chief of staff?
A: I started out as a secretary, and I was only making $16,000 a year ... The federal government was very frustrating. With local government, you can see things happening and moving forward around you. While it (my job with Graham) prepared me, I still had a lot to learn.
Q: What do you do to get away?
A: I play golf, but not as often as I’d like. I spend time with my family obviously. It’s like Seinfeld said in that one episode, “Having three kids is like living in a blender with the top off.” That’s exactly what it’s like.
Q: Anything you’d like to add?
A: Yes. My biggest regret so far is a conversation I had with Council member Art Graham about the (new county) courthouse. It was a very difficult exchange on the Council floor regarding the courthouse budget. I did not appreciate then what I do now and that is you should have honest, spirited dialogues about every issue facing the community. Getting lots of input is the only way to make the best decision. Part of the discussion has to include mutual respect and I took that first discussion with Council member Graham too personally. I have since apologized to him.
Q: Is it hard dealing with 19 (Council) personalities?
A: It was a challenge for me and Adam is better at it than I was.
Q: What are your longterm plans? Do you ever want to return to practicing law?
A: I’m just trying to do the best job I can right now. It’s not really productive for me to think about that. Just like a golfer, you have to stay in the present – and you don’t think about the shot in front of you. This has been a tremendous opportunity for me, and I’ve really enjoyed being part of the mayor’s team.