Sheriff Oelrich Profile

By CAROLYN RISNER/ Managing Editor, Levy County Journal

Steve Oelrich is neither politician nor law enforcement officer. He is, in his own words, a public servant.

As the sheriff of Alachua County for more than 14 years, Oelrich is now seeking to broaden the spectrum of his service by serving the people of the 14th District in the State Senate.  A Republican, Oelrich was born near Pensacola right after World War II and has spent the better part of his life in Florida, although he also lived in Alabama and Tennessee. He attended St. Petersburg Junior College and worked as a uniformed police officer for two years. With an associate s degree in police administration, he went on to Florida State University where he earned a degree in criminology.

As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Oelrich worked in the Miami area in the war against organized crime and was a part of the US Strike Force. He spent more than three years in the Caribbean, specifically the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico before returned to Tampa and then Tallahassee where he worked as a homicide investigator. He came to Gainesville in the late 70s and thought he d had enough of law enforcement. He opened an insurance agency and stayed with it for 10 years before the song of the siren "law" lured him back.

Running for sheriff in 1992, Oelrich admitted he was surprised at the victory and over the past 14 years has made steady improvements within the sheriff s department. Now it s time to move on, he said. I want to use a common sense approach, Oelrich said last week in Bronson. The bigger government gets, the further it is removed from the people. If elected, he plans to utilize some of the same measures that have succeeded for him as Alachua County Sheriff. Calls, emails and letters are returned, Oelrich said, and no one is allowed to screen phone calls. Our work is interacting with people, he said. Face to face. Voice to voice.

Oelrich openly states he is a conservative who is pro-life and pro-business. He wanted people to know the basic truths about him and not leave anything to supposition. I want no false pretenses, he said.  District 14 encompasses all of Alachua, Gilchrist, Bradford and Union counties and parts of Columbia, Marion, Putnam and Levy counties. Levy voters eligible to vote for Oelrich are those who live in Bronson, Williston and a very small corner of Chiefland, Oelrich said.

Oelrich s grassroots campaign is based on innovative ways to simplify seemingly insurmountable odds. The biggest challenge facing the district, he said, is property rights and protecting the lifestyle that people enjoy. Water is another challenge, Oelrich said. We need to keep South Florida's mitts off our water. The candidate also plans to focus on classroom funding, controlled growth, the fight against crime, lower taxes and reduced spending.

Married to Rose Mary Treadway, a prosecutor, for the last 12 years, Oelrich is the father of three sons, one of whom is deceased. One son is a US Army veteran who works in construction in Alachua County and the other is a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. In his spare time he enjoys being with his grandchildren, hunting and fishing especially at his lake home on Cross Creek.

A member of Rotary Club International, Oelrich is also a vocal proponent of organization. When his son, Nick, died 11 years ago after a trip to Cancun, Mexico, the Oelrich family donated Nick's organs. To date, 102 people have benefited from Nick's death, Oelrich said and that's why he supports organ donation through the Gift of Life Donor Program. Oelrich is traveling throughout the district hosting town meetings and speaking to civic clubs about his goals if elected. He will be at the Bronson Town Hall, Thursday, June 29 from 5:30-7 p.m. in an informal meet and greet.

Reprinted by permission of Levy County Publishing Inc.