Guided O’Connor Campaign : Political Consultant Sykes Drowns

Dick Sykes, a nationally known political consultant whose clients included San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor and other top local elected officials, died Tuesday in an accident on a rocky beach in Molokai, Hawaii.

Sykes, a partner in the New York City-based firm of Dresner-Sykes & Associates, was in the process of moving to San Diego and relocating his consulting agency’s headquarters here because of its increased activity in local campaigns, O’Connor aides said. Dick Dresner, Sykes’ partner, visited City Hall on Wednesday morning to inform O’Connor and her staff of Sykes’ death.

In addition to playing a leading role in O’Connor’s election last spring, Sykes’ firm also worked for Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.), Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego), San Diego City Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer and, most recently, for Clyde Romney in his unsuccessful campaign for San Diego County supervisor last November. Nationally, Dresner-Sykes’ present or former clients included former Maryland Gov. Harry Hughes, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), and former Mayors Kevin White and Jane Byrne of Boston and Chicago, respectively.

Sykes, 35, was in Molokai visiting his former wife and his two sons, ages 5 and 9. Sykes’ parents, of Wisconsin, also were in Molokai at the time of the accident, according to Molokai Police Capt. William Gearon.

The accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when Sykes was knocked over by a large wave and pulled out to sea while trying to show several family members sea snails at a rocky beach in an isolated part of the island, Gearon explained. Sykes’ body was found about two hours later, and an autopsy Wednesday confirmed that the cause of death was drowning, Gearon said.

Both O’Connor and Wilson released statements expressing their grief over Sykes’ death.

“Dick Sykes was a close personal friend,” O’Connor said. “He touched many lives in his short 35 years--mine, the lives of my staff and, indirectly, the life of San Diego. He will be missed.”

“Words cannot express my shock and grief at the sudden, tragic loss of Dick Sykes,” Wilson said in his statement. “He was a good friend, gentleman and a first-rate professional. My heart goes out to his family and his partners.”

A slender, dark-haired, bespectacled man with a dry wit and casual style typified by his penchant for tennis shoes and jeans--regulars of his daily wardrobe--Sykes was credited by O’Connor with being the architect of many of her campaign’s major components. Notably, Sykes helped devise two key proposals--an overall campaign spending limit and a pledge not to accept donations from developers--that, from the outset, allowed O’Connor to claim the moral high ground in the race.

“He sort of played the role of father figure for some of the younger people in the campaign--showing us the ropes, and teaching us not to get too high when things were going good or too low when things weren’t going so good,” said Paul Downey, O’Connor’s press secretary. “But that’s tough advice to follow today. A lot of people over here are just devastated.”