Legislator has eye on juvenile justice
Barreiro says 'dream job' would be running DJJ
By Bill Cotterell
DEMOCRAT POLITICAL EDITOR
June 12, 2006
MIAMI - State Rep. Gus Barreiro has a
simple explanation of why he is so deeply involved in Florida's
juvenile justice system.
"I was that kid," the Miami
lawmaker told an interviewer. "I grew up with a single mom, and if
it hadn't been for a couple of strong male mentors in my life, I
probably would have taken a wrong turn as a young man."
That kid, this year, was Martin Lee
Anderson, the 14-year-old who died Jan. 6 after being beaten by
guards at a Bay County juvenile boot camp. The boy's videotaped
ordeal - which brought thousands marching on the Capitol and
galvanized lawmakers to replace boot camps with a more structured
educational environment - was a familiar tale for Barreiro.
He decided to get into public office
20 years ago, when he ran a group home for boys in Wisconsin. A
teenager committed suicide after being removed for lack of state
funding.
As a state legislator, Barreiro
became a vocal critic of the Department of Juvenile Justice in 2003
after 17-year-old Omar Paisley died of a ruptured appendix in a
juvenile jail - despite days of pleading for medical help.
"That's the biggest frustration I've
had," Barreiro said. "It takes tragedy to get anything done."
Barreiro, term-limited out of his
House seat this year, wants to be secretary of the Department of
Juvenile Justice. But House Speaker-designate Marco Rubio, R-Miami,
has approached him about working as a senior policy adviser, and
Barreiro hasn't ruled out running for the state Senate.
Whatever he does, Barreiro said, he
will stay involved in juvenile issues. As head of the House justice
appropriations committee, he championed the bill that abolished boot
camps - signed by Gov. Jeb Bush on May 31 as the Martin Lee Anderson
Act - and won commendations from the legislative black caucus for
his work.
That's rare for a conservative
Republican. But amid the photos GOP lawmakers like to collect,
showing themselves shaking hands with men named Bush, there are a
"human-rights award" from the Citizens Commission on Human
Relations, the Martin Luther King Award from the United Teachers of
Dade Unity Caucus "for his contributions to civil and human rights"
and a trophy from the Florida Children's forum "for commitment and
leadership on behalf of Florida's youngest citizens."
There's also a football helmet signed
by Joe Namath, a 1980 team photo of the Fighting Saints of Mount
Senario College and several bits of Harley Davidson memorabilia.
"Grab life by the throttle and don't look back" is the inscription
on one little motorcycle model.
"Gus could be described as the best
Democrat in the Republican caucus," said Luis Garcia, a retired
Miami Beach fire chief who is running to succeed him. "Sometimes, I
think he's had to pay for that."
Garcia, a Democrat and Miami Beach
city commissioner, said Barreiro has broad bipartisan support in "a
very diverse district" that bridges Biscayne Bay.
Barreiro, 46, was born in Cuba and
came to Florida in 1964. A football scholarship took him to Mount
Senario, a small Wisconsin college with specialties in criminal
justice and public administration, but he dropped out.
He married and raised a daughter
while running a juvenile group home for nine years. Barreiro
returned to Miami in 1989 as co-director of the Dade Marine
Institute for young offenders, then operated a rose-growing nursery
and a golf shop.
In 1998, he succeeded his younger
brother, Bruno - now a Miami-Dade County commissioner - in a
60-percent Hispanic district that stretches from the mansions of
Fisher Island to the public-housing projects of Miami's inner city.
Barreiro said he asked former House
Speaker John Thrasher to put him on "what was considered a
punishment committee" by other legislators - juvenile justice. As a
newcomer, he even fought Gov. Jeb Bush to get juveniles some
exemption from the "10-20-Life" mandatory sentencing gun law.
After the Paisley death, he chaired a
select committee on juvenile issues. Numerous DJJ employees quit or
were suspended, staff training was upgraded and more cameras were
put in juvenile detention facilities.
Barreiro also demanded the
resignation of the late Bill Bankhead, then secretary of DJJ. When
Bankhead's failing health forced him to resign, Barreiro sought the
job but Bush chose Secretary Anthony Schembri.
"Gus Barreiro is an advocate for kids
in the juvenile justice system," Schembri said, declining to discuss
specifics. "I like to work with any legislator who is as passionate
about the well-being of youth as I am."
Barreiro supports Attorney General
Charlie Crist for governor. If Crist wins, Barreiro makes no secret
of his availability.
"My dream job would be secretary of
Juvenile Justice. I would do it for free," he said. "The department
needs to have a major overhaul in the sense of the culture that's
there.
"You really have to have leadership
from the top that really sends a message throughout the department -
'We're here because of the kids, so let's get excited about it.'
It's a great privilege to work with kids when you have an
opportunity to change their lives."
Contact Bill Cotterell at
(850) 671-6545 or
bcotterell@tallahassee.com
Originally
published June 12, 2006
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