For Staffers, the Fall Was Rugged, But Life Goes On

Kevin Sweeney says he’ll never forget the first moments after Roger Hedgecock failed in his bid to overturn the guilty verdicts in his second trial.

As the courtroom emptied, Sweeney, an assistant to the mayor and longtime loyalist, spoke briefly with Hedgecock and attorney Oscar Goodman. Then, he went through a back door to call Hedgecock’s office to begin preparations for the mayor’s resignation.

“I went back behind the courtroom into the lobby, and the court personnel and the marshal were there, and they were sort of laughing and joking around about what had just happened,” Sweeney said. “I thought about the fact that I had worked for Roger for the past four years--five, six, seven days a week--and I thought about all that everyone had gone through, all the elections, all the ups and downs, and I had to walk by these clowns in their uniforms laughing about the whole thing. That was probably the lowest point of the entire experience.”

For the professional staff members who dedicated themselves to Hedgecock’s election and his goals for the city, Hedgecock’s downfall was hard to take. But several interviewed by The Times said they forced themselves to accept the inevitable, and their coping was made easier by Hedgecock’s own success as a radio talk-show host and consultant.

“There’s nothing I can do to make it go back to where it was three years ago,” said Evonne Schulze, who handled community relations for Hedgecock and now works for City Councilman Mike Gotch. “I don’t mean to sound cold, but I think we all felt we had to go on with our lives, as did Roger. He certainly has been a perfect example of that.”

People like Schulze and Sweeney worked behind the scenes to weave practical policy from the threads of Hedgecock’s political philosophy, and they shared his views. But they and others on the staff said their ideals did not die with Hedgecock’s political career.

Sweeney said, “I’m sorry that we weren’t able to accomplish a lot of the things we had planned, but I’m hopeful that someone else will do the same things. The people active now are the same people who were active then. We gave an awful lot of people an opportunity to get involved and have a voice that never would have, and I think that’s tremendously significant.

“You have to trust that people are still enthusiastic and will stay involved. Any movement is only legitimate if it keeps going, if it’s not all buttressed by one person or one personality.”

After Hedgecock left office, Sweeney took several months off to catch his breath and catch up with old friends before going to work as a commercial real estate broker.

David Nielsen, Hedgecock’s policy director and then his chief of staff, took a job with City Manager Sylvester Murray.

Peggy Goldstein, Hedgecock’s adviser on planning issues, now works for Norman Hickey, the county’s chief administrative officer.

Goldstein said she still looks back fondly on her time with Hedgecock, despite the way it ended.

“From the point of view of what Roger could have done for the city, it’s obviously a kind of bittersweet memory,” she said. “From the point of view of the experience I gained, I feel really good. I don’t feel there’s another way of gaining that experience other than being on the mayor’s staff.”

Schulze added: “I don’t think it pays to go back and moan and groan or say, ‘Why didn’t I do this or do that.’ . . . No matter what people think of Roger Hedgecock, he has taught us all a lesson. You go on with your life. You make the best of what you’ve got. Out of every bad, there comes something good.”