An interview with County Manager Steve Shiver.  By Marc Stockwell

Congratulation Steve, on your recent appointment as county Manager of Miami.  What, in you view, are some of the key areas you would like to see improve in Miami?

I’ve been asked that question a lot, and I think that there are many challenges that we face as a community of Miami Dade County.  To put more emphasis on one than the other may bias the outcome.  How I like to approach the many challenges is that we have many resources available to us here in the County, and  I think we need to be able to capitalize and use all of the resources to target all of the issues that are the most pressing in our community.  I will equally approach  all of those issues with  150% enthusiasm and resources.  So channeling our resources and being able to effectively use them to their fullest potential , I think is where we are going to focus our attention.

Following the devastation from Hurricane Andrew, as Mayor of Homestead, you had an awesome responsibility of rebuilding your beautiful city.  How important was your faith in helping you through those difficult times?

Obviously faith has been a part of my life for many many years, and it is an extremely important component of anybody's success in my opinion.  I think trying to project that in community pride, being proud of  who you are, and what you are, and where you are has been a very strong suit in our success in Homestead.  My belief in God has always been a guiding force in that, and I’m blessed to have that as part of my life. 

In the past, you’ve had the support of local pastors and businesses in So. Dade, helping to promote such events as The Homestead Fest.  Do you feel that will be true throughout the rest of Dade County as particular needs arise?

If we all work together for the unification of the community of Miami Dade County, we will be successful.  In doing that, was one of the reasons I supported the Homestead Fest.  Pastor Dunn came to me with what he thought was a hair-brained idea of getting families together.  Boy how crazy is that – getting families together to have some good times, and doing it all under the auspices of our Creator, was just an easy decision for me to make in supporting that.   So I hope we use those type of events to promote pride and capitalize on our diversity.  We are so divided in this community; ethnically and economically, but the common denominator is where we all live.  And if we are to promote that “where we all live” attitude as being proud of it, and looking out this window right now,  and looking over the Bay, and looking over the city of Miami, and looking in the distance you can see Homestead and parts of  So. Dade.  We are a wonderful place to live, and we need to capitalize on that.  I hope through those public events, those family involvement events,  that we’ll be able to project some of the things we did in Homestead up here.

 How would you define the role of Church and State as it relates to community services?  Can they work together and can you tell us what you hope to accomplish?

 Well again, that’s always been a sticky issue. There are many people that have different beliefs, and we should respect that as a community.  We should respect the differences we have in each other.  I personally feel that the faith organizations out there that are working with the homeless, that are working with the addictions that our troubling our community, are extremely well based  in that they promote not just aggressively pursuing the problem, but they promote a holistic approach to healing problems.  I think that that is a remarkable challenge, or a remarkable way to approach problems.  Looking at faith-based organizations that are now at the federal level being looked at for funding and things of that nature,  I think we should capitalize on that, if that does come to fruition, we should move forward and make sure that those funds are readily available to those community organizations that are really trying to make a difference.

Finally, I know your family plays a very important part of your life.  Please tell us a little about them and what God has done in their lives.

Well my parents were founders of the first Pentecostal church in Homestead;  my father was one of the founding members of that Church.  I was born on Wednesday and went to church that Sunday.   I have several uncles that are preachers in Texas and Louisiana.  I’ve enjoyed that family environment growing up and it has given me strength in the tough times and given me direction in those times when I need it.  I find it very easy to drive down the road and thank the Lord that I’m driving down that road.  I look at prayer as a very important part of my life. It’s exciting – it’s extremely exciting.  My wife, Sherri, -- I imported her from Ashville, N.C., and my two children, Ashley and Ryan are just remarkable.  Knowing the love I have for them, and knowing what I want to be able to do in this community is really a driving force.  My family is a strong component in my life, and I’ve been blessed to have healthy and readily available family members to assist me when I need it.

With the Christian community behind you 100% we wish you the very best.

March-April '01 Table of Contents