Life Saving Swimming Lessons in Miami

00:00:00:01 – 00:00:02:41
David Martin
This is the good government show.

00:00:02:46 – 00:00:29:49
Jim O’Conner
Now our goal is really to have zero drownings in Miami Dade and it’s totally preventable. It’s an incurable disease. Drownings are preventable. Good government is doing what the people want and what the people need. It’s so important to get your kids out in the parks, you know, get away from the the computers. Get away from the cell phones.

00:00:29:54 – 00:01:01:52
Jim O’Conner
The social media. Get outside exercise, walk. And that’s what I want them to know about our parks. It’s a wonderful place, to enjoy the sun, exercise and also learn how to swim. Other wonderful things we do. We have a great fit to play program where we’re we’re teaching the children, how to exercise, how to schedule work on, schoolwork after school and also be active.

00:01:01:56 – 00:01:18:20
David Martin
Here’s an incredible statistic. The number one cause of death for children in Miami is drowning. Drowning in pools, in the ocean, in canals. And it’s preventable. That’s the topic of today’s show. Welcome to the good government show. I’m Dave Martin. First, help us show the message of good government by liking us and showing us where we are.

00:01:18:20 – 00:01:36:55
David Martin
And all your social media platforms. Make sure of us and send our show everywhere. We all need to talk about good government. Jim O’Connor is the chief of the Office of Drowning Prevention in Miami Dade County. He was recently awarded for his program called Zero Drownings Miami Dade. As you’ll hear, he started this program with the goal of getting all kids in Miami.

00:01:37:06 – 00:01:56:51
David Martin
At the very least, comfortable in the water with many beaches, parks, pools, rivers, and canals. Water is everywhere in Miami, and that makes water safety important, as you’ll hear a shocking number of kids in Miami. They don’t know how to swim. And that Jim O’Connor will tell you is something that can be fixed. He’s doing it. He’s working with other agencies like the Red cross.

00:01:56:56 – 00:02:15:22
David Martin
He’s ramping up a program to change all that. Like many in government, he says it’s a combination of public and private partnerships that’s making the difference. I should add that Jim O’Connor was last year cited as a county employee of the year. He’s also a lifeguard himself, and through different programs, he’s taught thousands how to swim, and he’s trained swim instructors.

00:02:15:35 – 00:02:25:47
David Martin
It really is his passion. Coming up, a conversation with a real public servant. I talk swimming with Jim O’Connor from Miami.

00:02:25:51 – 00:02:52:25
David Martin
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00:02:52:39 – 00:03:17:00
David Martin
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00:03:17:04 – 00:03:38:32
David Martin
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00:03:38:46 – 00:03:59:02
David Martin
That’s good news for lefties. Listen, we’re listening now. Well, I am very happy to have with me Jim O’Connor from my old hometown, Miami, Florida. So Miami Dade County, you are the chief of parks, recreation and open Spaces Department and the Office of Drowning Prevention. Have I got it right?

00:03:59:09 – 00:04:07:21
Jim O’Conner
Yeah, you got it right. Kind of switch that. We have another, director of this kind of the chief of Parks and rec. But I am the chief of the office of drowning.

00:04:07:25 – 00:04:22:39
David Martin
The chief, the chief of the Office of Chronic Prevention. And the reason why you’re here is because we’re at the National Association of Counties annual conference, and you are about to get an award for something, a program called zero drownings, Miami-Dade, zero drownings. What is this program?

00:04:22:53 – 00:04:25:57
Jim O’Conner
First of all, I want to tell you a little bit about Miami Dade, please.

00:04:25:59 – 00:04:27:03
David Martin
I know a little bit about it.

00:04:27:03 – 00:04:48:11
Jim O’Conner
Yeah, and I know you do. Unfortunately, I mean, we have, you know, water all around. It’s a wonderful, place to be with the sunshine and the bay. Yep. But there’s also a little bit of a sad side, and that is, we are the, Or the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 14 is drowning in Miami-Dade.

00:04:48:15 – 00:04:51:13
David Martin
1 to 14, the number one cause of death is drowning.

00:04:51:25 – 00:04:52:17
Jim O’Conner
That’s correct.

00:04:52:23 – 00:04:57:00
David Martin
Is it pools or ocean? Lakes? Water. What’s the.

00:04:57:00 – 00:05:09:24
Jim O’Conner
Breakdown? Depends on the age. For the younger children, it’s typically the swimming pools. The older, children, you know, it’s more of the open water, the beaches, the canals, those type of things.

00:05:09:24 – 00:05:11:36
David Martin
Stupid kids jumping off bridges.

00:05:11:41 – 00:05:16:52
Jim O’Conner
Yeah. Usually teenagers are kind of overestimating some of their ability. Okay.

00:05:17:04 – 00:05:22:05
David Martin
But that’s that’s really tragic that drowning is the number one cause of death, and it’s preventable.

00:05:22:10 – 00:05:36:11
Jim O’Conner
Yeah, it’s totally preventable. And, you know, you mentioned our name and that’s what it is. You know, our goal is really to have zero drownings in Miami Dade. And it’s totally preventable. It’s just an incurable disease. Drownings are preventable.

00:05:36:12 – 00:05:39:59
David Martin
And how did this come about? When where did this idea come from?

00:05:40:04 – 00:06:00:34
Jim O’Conner
You know, basically we’ve been working on a number of years. And finally, we kind of had the right pieces of the puzzle in place. The county, mayor Covid, was very, the county mayor, the county mayor was very, committed to preventing drowning in Miami Dade. The superintendent of Miami Dade County Public Schools was very committed.

00:06:00:39 – 00:06:14:45
Jim O’Conner
The Children’s Trust, which is our children’s service agency in Miami Dade, their CEO, they, you know, basically all came together and said, hey, this needs to stop. We need to do something about it. And that’s really what zero drowning is all about.

00:06:14:50 – 00:06:21:23
David Martin
And was this something that people were clamoring for, or was this just something that people like yourself realized we needed? Affects?

00:06:21:32 – 00:06:23:29
Jim O’Conner
Everybody saw, we said, it’s a good idea.

00:06:23:31 – 00:06:26:34
David Martin
Okay. But, yes, zero drownings is a good idea.

00:06:26:39 – 00:06:36:57
Jim O’Conner
That’s when we’re trying to sell it to, you know, to say, the county commission or the school board. You know, everybody agrees, but it’s just having the right pieces in place to make it happen.

00:06:37:09 – 00:06:52:57
David Martin
But you talk about, you know, waterfront access, you’ve got all of Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, you’ve got Mason hammock we talked about in Coral Gables in that area, Gables by the sea. And then down in homestead, there’s just beachfront and there’s canals. Right. And then every other house has a pool.

00:06:53:10 – 00:07:05:45
Jim O’Conner
Absolutely. You know, a lot of boats. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I want to just say State of Florida. Let me throw another stat out there. There is one pool for every, one residential pool for every 14 people in the state of Florida.

00:07:05:50 – 00:07:06:19
David Martin
Really?

00:07:06:24 – 00:07:07:04
Jim O’Conner
Yes.

00:07:07:09 – 00:07:10:45
David Martin
And not to mention city pools and county pools and parks and there’s.

00:07:10:45 – 00:07:14:45
Jim O’Conner
Hotels and apartment complexes, all that good stuff.

00:07:14:50 – 00:07:20:28
David Martin
That’s a lot of pools. Yeah. So you said it. It took a while to get all these elements together. What elements? You had to bring together.

00:07:20:29 – 00:07:27:42
Jim O’Conner
Well, first of all, we we brought the county, okay. And that’s where much of the Office of Drowning Prevention is under how I.

00:07:27:42 – 00:07:31:44
David Martin
I’m sorry. I have to back up. How long has there been an Office of Drowning Prevention?

00:07:31:49 – 00:07:44:06
Jim O’Conner
We got established last August. Okay. Okay. So it’s it’s basically brand new. All right. Okay. Before that, I oversee all the swimming pools and beaches in Miami Dade County.

00:07:44:08 – 00:07:46:55
David Martin
I have to ask, are you a retired lifeguard or something?

00:07:47:00 – 00:07:52:48
Jim O’Conner
I’m a current lifeguard. I’m just a lifeguard and swim instructor. Instructor, trainer, and those type of things.

00:07:52:50 – 00:07:55:32
David Martin
Do you still, like, be a lifeguard? Do you still take a shower?

00:07:55:42 – 00:08:00:05
Jim O’Conner
Since I took my new position as chief of the office of Drowning Prevention, how long ago?

00:08:00:05 – 00:08:01:46
David Martin
We were an actual active lifeguard.

00:08:01:51 – 00:08:09:53
Jim O’Conner
I supervise the lifeguard. And, For. You mentioned Matheson hammocks. You mentioned those places. Okay. Two years ago.

00:08:09:57 – 00:08:17:19
David Martin
Wow. Okay. All right. So. So your other you you really, truly were on the front line of this project. I have to ask, did you rescue anyone over the years?

00:08:17:24 – 00:08:17:58
Jim O’Conner
Of course.

00:08:17:58 – 00:08:24:56
David Martin
Yeah. Okay. All right. Which is a harrowing experience, I’m sure. So this is, in some ways, I would imagine, kind of personal for you.

00:08:24:57 – 00:08:44:50
Jim O’Conner
Absolutely. It’s been one of my, you know, commitments. Prior to being with the county, I worked for the American Red cross. You know, I’ve taught at the University of Miami. I’m originally from Oregon, where I coached swimming at the University of Oregon. So, you know, I’m one of those people that has really known the importance of preventing drowning and knowing that it is preventable.

00:08:44:51 – 00:08:56:24
Jim O’Conner
I wrote my master’s thesis on accidental drownings in the United States. All right. Okay. So this has been a lifetime goal, and it really finally happened last year where we all came together to make a difference.

00:08:56:31 – 00:08:58:30
David Martin
Well, that that sounds like good government.

00:08:58:35 – 00:09:24:09
Jim O’Conner
Absolutely. And you know what’s so neat about this program? It’s a true partnership. Okay. And and that’s what we really have to have. We have to have the county talking to the school system. Who’s talking to Head Start, who’s talking to the funders? United Way. The American Red cross is our technical advisor, and we use them knowing not only locally but nationally.

00:09:24:14 – 00:09:33:05
Jim O’Conner
And also bringing in all the other municipalities, you know, besides Miami-Dade County. I think we have something like, I want to say, 35 municipalities in the county.

00:09:33:12 – 00:09:34:45
David Martin
Right. Different separate.

00:09:34:50 – 00:09:36:00
Jim O’Conner
City of Miami.

00:09:36:01 – 00:09:38:46
David Martin
Miami scrambles, Gables, homestead. Right. Yeah.

00:09:38:46 – 00:09:48:27
Jim O’Conner
Okay. And they all have pools. They all have, parks departments. And so just working out the logistics to get everybody involved for this common cause.

00:09:48:29 – 00:09:53:37
David Martin
Was it hard for you to rein in all of these different municipalities in the county?

00:09:53:42 – 00:09:56:01
Jim O’Conner
Some. Yes. Some. No. Okay.

00:09:56:06 – 00:09:56:58
David Martin
Like.

00:09:57:03 – 00:10:18:48
Jim O’Conner
Yeah, we’re still working on it. As you mentioned earlier, when, you know, if I go to a city council meeting, I get up there and talk. Most of the time the city council members don’t always agree on one topic, but so far, we’ve been lucky enough that every municipality and county government that we went to and pitched the idea, they said, this is a wonderful idea and we want to be part of.

00:10:18:52 – 00:10:21:04
David Martin
Is there a model for this anywhere in America?

00:10:21:09 – 00:10:26:06
Jim O’Conner
Basically, we started for this age. Broward, okay, had done something similar.

00:10:26:06 – 00:10:27:07
David Martin
For around.

00:10:27:12 – 00:10:35:16
Jim O’Conner
Fort Lauderdale for older age kids. We wanted to reach the younger age kids. So we’re really gearing in towards the four year olds in the kindergarten children.

00:10:35:21 – 00:10:43:07
David Martin
And are those kids getting swimming lessons traditionally? I mean, is this, is this a group of kids that learn how to swim? Growing up in Miami in South Florida?

00:10:43:14 – 00:10:49:13
Jim O’Conner
You know, unfortunately, most people, in, South Florida don’t know how to swim. Okay.

00:10:49:18 – 00:10:51:05
David Martin
And as amazing as that sounds.

00:10:51:16 – 00:11:13:01
Jim O’Conner
Yeah. And so what, this program does, it’s a school year program for the learn to swim component. Okay, okay. So, we’re using the municipal and private pools when they’re typically not used. And so we pick up a group of, say, kindergarten children at 930 in the morning. We bring them to a municipal pool, we teach a 30 minute class, and we do that for two weeks in a row.

00:11:13:02 – 00:11:25:27
Jim O’Conner
Right. And then we bring the child back to their kindergarten. And then while those kids are in the water, the bus leaves and picks up another group of kids and drop them off. And we just keep shuttling that until about 1230.

00:11:25:32 – 00:11:26:33
David Martin
And how long is the program?

00:11:26:47 – 00:11:42:20
Jim O’Conner
The program goes. It’ll start in the school year. Yeah. Okay. So, you know, for a year or two, our first session is going to start on, September 15th and it’ll it’ll run in two weeks. Sessions until really June. Okay.

00:11:42:33 – 00:11:44:33
David Martin
And then so every kid goes through a two week.

00:11:44:38 – 00:11:46:27
Jim O’Conner
Two week session to how do.

00:11:46:27 – 00:11:48:24
David Martin
They do they know how to swim after the what we.

00:11:48:24 – 00:12:09:10
Jim O’Conner
Call a water competency program. Okay. Okay. And we’ve worked with the American Red cross. We’re using their skill check offs. They have a scientific council, where we’re doing pre and post testing and we monitor all that. What our goal is, is basically if the child falls in the water, you know, being able to turn around, make it back to a position of safety.

00:12:09:15 – 00:12:33:07
Jim O’Conner
And so, you know, we’re not teaching the child to be an Olympic swimmer. All right. Okay. For these four and five year olds. But the whole idea is to educate them on water safety. And that’s another component. We have a whole Red cross curriculum, that goes with the lessons. Okay. You know, be safe around the water and lifejackets and other important factors in South Florida that we want to teach.

00:12:33:12 – 00:12:41:17
Jim O’Conner
And then we do those lessons. And, basically our goal is just to make them water competent.

00:12:41:21 – 00:12:48:51
David Martin
And is it enough for the kid to go out to, you know, Miami Beach or haul over and, you know, play around in the waves and feel comfortable?

00:12:48:56 – 00:12:51:35
Jim O’Conner
At four. No. Okay. Not without.

00:12:51:40 – 00:12:51:58
David Martin
Adult.

00:12:51:58 – 00:13:02:41
Jim O’Conner
Supervision. You know, they don’t put. And that’s another component besides, I mean, so there’s three components besides the lessons. Yep. Okay. Which is our major component. We also, educate the parent and caregiver.

00:13:02:53 – 00:13:03:07
David Martin
Okay.

00:13:03:07 – 00:13:27:18
Jim O’Conner
Okay. So they register their child. We, send them and we’ve, have a, online water safety course that, the Red cross has called water safety for parents and caregivers. We make sure all of our materials in three languages English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. We actually worked with the Red cross to take their material and translate to Haitian Creole.

00:13:27:18 – 00:13:49:19
Jim O’Conner
And that’s used not only in Miami-Dade County, but throughout the United States. And then the other component we have a community outreach where we’re out in the public, talking about the importance of supervision, signing your children up for swim lessons because we don’t want this a one shot deal, right? So they go through our program, we want them to come into the parks and take the afternoon, take the summer classes.

00:13:49:19 – 00:13:53:24
Jim O’Conner
We want their older brothers and sisters and, to sign up for lessons.

00:13:53:35 – 00:14:04:31
David Martin
Do you see any people extending beyond this program and taking, like, signing up for when I was a kid, we took swimming lessons at the Y. I mean, do you do you see that? Do you see that progression yet?

00:14:04:40 – 00:14:14:23
Jim O’Conner
Absolutely. And it’s a great marketing ploy. And I know with Miami-Dade County Parks, a lot of the kids who go through the program, then we’ll sign up for evening or summer swim classes.

00:14:14:28 – 00:14:17:01
David Martin
And that that must make you feel much better about the whole thing.

00:14:17:08 – 00:14:37:45
Jim O’Conner
You know, it’s great. And, you know, we talk about this and why we’re starting with swim lessons. 88% of all children, that drown, okay, have had no formal swim lessons. So this program will make a difference. You know, we hear like about 2200 this year. In year one, we’re shooting for 10,000 children next year and.

00:14:37:45 – 00:14:39:49
David Martin
Hopefully going to go from 2000 to 10,000.

00:14:40:04 – 00:15:06:17
Jim O’Conner
Getting all the logistics. Yeah. One was I’m going to say we have all kinds of data sharing agreements and transportation agreements and, cooperative agreements with municipalities, the school systems, the providers, our fiscal agent. And so all of that work is done in year one. So now we’re really shooting to expand, especially in the next three years.

00:15:06:28 – 00:15:08:49
David Martin
Does this cost Miami Dade County anything?

00:15:08:54 – 00:15:30:01
Jim O’Conner
Okay. The way it works is, funding was provided, through the Children’s Trust as a startup. Okay. That includes money for the scholarships. That also includes to set up our office initially and then the county as it’s phased in, is going to take over the four positions that are in the Office of Drowning Prevention. So the county is a stakeholder.

00:15:30:01 – 00:15:44:01
Jim O’Conner
Children’s trust is a stakeholder. Then we have outside funders private I mentioned United Way. Yeah. Okay. And there’s a several other providers. American Red cross has a scholarship program. We’ve used their centennial program. So the idea.

00:15:44:01 – 00:15:46:23
David Martin
Is our public private partnership is essentially.

00:15:46:23 – 00:15:59:06
Jim O’Conner
Is perfect, you know, and, you know, besides the scholarships for the lessons which we pay the municipalities for teaching them, okay, so we reimburse them in the private providers. We also pay for the transportation to the school system and to the headstart kids.

00:15:59:09 – 00:16:00:07
David Martin
Is this money well spent?

00:16:00:19 – 00:16:26:54
Jim O’Conner
Yeah, absolutely. Okay. It makes a difference. And, you know, we’re working around the school system, because, you know, there were blackout dates. One of the reason we picked kindergartens is we figured they wouldn’t have so mandatory as many mandatory testing dates as the older children. But even with kindergarten children, there’s some dates. You know, particularly in the spring where we kind of aren’t able to serve the, the Miami-Dade County kindergarten children.

00:16:26:54 – 00:16:32:11
Jim O’Conner
But at that time, we serve the headstart and we serve and serve the private, daycare centers.

00:16:32:23 – 00:16:45:26
David Martin
And this may sound a little callous, but all the money that you spend on, you know, this, this, this program to prevent drownings is much better spent than the cleanup from drowning incidents.

00:16:45:40 – 00:16:47:46
Jim O’Conner
Absolutely. You know, I mean, one is.

00:16:47:56 – 00:16:50:14
David Martin
Is that was that part of the the figuring.

00:16:50:19 – 00:17:07:51
Jim O’Conner
You know, once again, you say health care cost. You mentioned that, you know, it can be in millions of dollars, particularly if they’re non-fatal, where they may survive, but then have, you know, some type of catastrophic, injuries such as, brain damage. Right. You know, on that. But, yes, you know, one child live saves, you know, pays for it all.

00:17:08:05 – 00:17:24:38
David Martin
One of the things I talked to, government leaders around the nation about when I talk to them is, you know, their goal is to have a park within a five minute walk of everyone’s house. I, you know, lived in Miami, as we discussed. I know there’s lots of parks. How are you coming on? Park access throughout the county.

00:17:24:39 – 00:17:44:16
Jim O’Conner
That’s all we’re doing. And not only, you know, once again, the county, but all the municipalities. So what our goal is, is we identify a center or a school that’s within 15 minutes travel time. Okay. And as we get more parks and hopefully more pools, then we can, you know, expand our realm throughout the county. Our reach.

00:17:44:21 – 00:17:44:30
Jim O’Conner
Are you.

00:17:44:30 – 00:17:45:27
David Martin
Trying to build more pools?

00:17:45:29 – 00:18:08:50
Jim O’Conner
Some. Okay. Okay. And, you know, we’re getting a few. We’re renovating some of the pools that we currently have. There are some municipalities that are coming on board that have brand new facilities, which is nice. And so we’re incorporating those facilities. And then the nice thing, like I mentioned, since we do have it during the school year, is, you know, parents will come up to me all the time.

00:18:08:50 – 00:18:28:05
Jim O’Conner
And, you know, there’s reasons, you know, most parents will want us to sign their child up for swim lessons. You know, but they don’t know where the pools are. Yep. That might be expensive. This is a free program. They work. So the lessons, aren’t you know, taught to the kids. You know, maybe in the summer they can take them.

00:18:28:10 – 00:18:40:51
Jim O’Conner
What this program does, it’s during the school year. So the parents are so happy with the program because it basically, in some way does their job for them, because it brings the kids to the lessons and takes about.

00:18:40:58 – 00:18:52:46
David Martin
One of the least expensive things you can do is throw a bunch of sandwiches at a picnic basket or a cooler, take your family to the beach and especially in South Florida, spend a day at the beach. This helps everybody, right?

00:18:52:48 – 00:19:14:39
Jim O’Conner
Absolutely. You know, and you know, and like I mentioned, besides educating the children and teaching the children, a key component is also to educate the parents because they don’t know, you know, the importance of supervision in, on and around the water. And, you know, it only takes, you know, 30 to 60s for a child drown to be completely underwater.

00:19:14:44 – 00:19:21:25
Jim O’Conner
And so if they’re on their cell phone talking to their friend, they may not understand the importance of them watching their child.

00:19:21:32 – 00:19:33:21
David Martin
I know you’re a lifeguard, but you’re up in the lifeguard chair and you see a kid having trouble by the time you spot him. I’m guessing they’re several seconds into their, you know, problem. By the time they get down there, it could be too late.

00:19:33:26 – 00:19:43:50
Jim O’Conner
Yeah, absolutely. And that’s why we always talk about preventive lifeguarding. Okay. You know, if you see the child, you know, going down the pool, edging its way towards deep water, you know, we kind of bring them back.

00:19:43:52 – 00:19:46:45
David Martin
I’ll take it to the ocean. But yeah, it works with the repair.

00:19:46:45 – 00:19:52:37
Jim O’Conner
I will blow the whistle and remind parents importance of watching their children. And that extra layer of supervision.

00:19:52:39 – 00:20:00:14
David Martin
Have you been in touch with places like, you know, Broward or, out in California, in San Diego or Los Angeles County? Is anyone doing anything similar?

00:20:00:23 – 00:20:26:30
Jim O’Conner
One of the neat things is this is, kind of highlight. There’s a program, the American Red cross does nationally, which is called their centennial program. And we’re working right now with some of our curriculum, and they’ve kind of identified some other partners I’ve talked to. Chicago, for example. We got Seattle. We got San Diego. So some of the other, municipalities around the country and hopefully, you know, we’re all have some good ideas.

00:20:26:30 – 00:20:28:39
David Martin
And anyone can call you and they can steal your ideas.

00:20:28:39 – 00:20:34:31
Jim O’Conner
Right? Right. No, I that’d be perfect. Okay. You know, I would love for them to steal my ideas.

00:20:34:33 – 00:20:47:44
David Martin
Okay, well, we’ll we’ll we’ll put we’ll we’ll put your number up on our website. They can call you directly. All right. Well, that is certainly good government. And action. We like to hear that. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we’re going to get to the hard part. This is going to take a moment. Are you ready?

00:20:47:46 – 00:21:11:31
David Martin
Sure. Okay. The Good Government show is sponsored by our. That’s. Oh, you are for our community. Get involved. We hear that all the time from government leaders. Our co-branded with your governments name and logo. Your staff and the people you serve are connected and part of your community. From any device your members provide reliable data and meaningful feedback.

00:21:11:35 – 00:21:27:36
David Martin
Ask a question like do we want more parkland or better homeless services? More engage conversations come through the our app. Visit our co that’s ou rco.com and book a demonstration.

00:21:27:41 – 00:21:51:00
David Martin
After you get done with this episode, hear more good government stories with our friends at How to Really Run a City for mayors Kasim Reed of Atlanta and Michael Nutter of Seattle, Delphia and their co-host, journalist and author Larry Platt. Talk with guests and other mayors about how to really get stuff done in cities around the nation. Check them out where you’re listening now or through their nonprofit news site, The Philadelphia Citizen.

00:21:51:14 – 00:22:06:10
David Martin
Dot org slash podcasts. So we have a questionnaire that we talked to everyone about. Usually they are elected officials. So this will be a little different. But we’re going to we’re going to get to you. How long have you worked for Dade County Parks?

00:22:06:23 – 00:22:11:48
Jim O’Conner
35. Well, 34 years. And, in, February, it’ll be 35 years.

00:22:11:52 – 00:22:16:18
David Martin
35 years with Metro did. Yes. Wow. All right. Miami Dade. Sorry. Miami Dade.

00:22:16:18 – 00:22:17:52
Jim O’Conner
County. Miami.

00:22:17:57 – 00:22:19:13
David Martin
What is good government?

00:22:19:18 – 00:22:22:55
Jim O’Conner
Good government is doing what the people want and what the people need.

00:22:22:57 – 00:22:25:36
David Martin
What if what they want isn’t exactly what they need?

00:22:25:39 – 00:22:33:38
Jim O’Conner
And that’s where the politics come into play. That’s why trying to persuade them in some cases, if we know what is good for them.

00:22:33:42 – 00:22:35:39
David Martin
And that could be a hardship safety.

00:22:35:43 – 00:22:37:18
Jim O’Conner
Yes. And that’s one thing that I want to stress.

00:22:37:18 – 00:22:38:56
David Martin
That could be a hard sell though, right?

00:22:39:01 – 00:22:58:12
Jim O’Conner
Yeah, absolutely it could. So what do you do? One is to show of the facts. Educate okay. Educate, educate, educate, show proven results, use other municipalities like you mentioned, other counties that best practices throughout the county to really, show that it works and make sure the program is a quality program too.

00:22:58:21 – 00:23:09:12
David Martin
Okay, well, not always simple, but simple, right? Yes. Okay. If people are frustrated with government, if they don’t like the way things are going, if they don’t like what they see in their parks, what should they do?

00:23:09:17 – 00:23:33:17
Jim O’Conner
One let us know. Okay? And I think that’s one thing that I’ve noticed in the last I want to say ten years is just, you know, through, QR codes through, phone numbers that they can reach surveys. I know we do all kinds of customer surveys. Okay. Is is really a chance to hear, you know, what their concerns are, what they and also what the things they like are.

00:23:33:32 – 00:23:39:21
David Martin
All right. So you were a swim coach? I think you said a university. Oregon? Yes. A swimmer yourself.

00:23:39:26 – 00:23:41:30
Jim O’Conner
You not as good as I was a coach, but.

00:23:41:30 – 00:23:46:59
David Martin
Yes. Okay. All right. What drew you to public service? What do you made you get into working for County?

00:23:47:08 – 00:24:09:07
Jim O’Conner
I mentioned when I was, actually, I, I was a business major. Okay. Of course. And then I kind of had a mentor at the University of Oregon that kind of took me under his wing, and he got into aquatics. I received a research grant to study accidental drownings in the United States. Right. Became involved with the American Red cross, decided after I, taught one year at the University of Oregon.

00:24:09:12 – 00:24:18:24
Jim O’Conner
I wanted to kind of live in the sun and. Yeah. And by the water moved to Miami. And I continued my I mean, you couldn’t for a lot.

00:24:18:24 – 00:24:24:00
David Martin
Farther parts across the country. Oregon to Miami. Yeah. What drew you to Miami? Just the just the weather.

00:24:24:05 – 00:24:36:51
Jim O’Conner
Just the weather. You know, I remember coming here on a January day, after leaving Oregon, and I was out in the bay, you know, kind of scuba diving and being pulled behind a boat. And I kind of thought, that’ll do it.

00:24:36:51 – 00:24:37:27
David Martin
That’ll do it.

00:24:37:27 – 00:24:37:52
Jim O’Conner
It’s kind of.

00:24:37:52 – 00:24:41:00
David Martin
Nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’ll do it. Who inspires you?

00:24:41:05 – 00:24:59:00
Jim O’Conner
My assignment. One of my mentors was doctor Don Van Rossum of the University of Oregon. You know, just numerous people at the Red cross on some of our county leadership. We’ve had some excellent directors. So those have been really my, my mentors throughout the years.

00:24:59:00 – 00:25:01:02
David Martin
Did you see yourself getting into public service?

00:25:01:02 – 00:25:15:19
Jim O’Conner
I saw myself, you know, staying in aquatics as an aquatic professional. Okay. You know, and that’s something I’ve always loved, whether it’s teaching swimming or coaching or lifeguarding is just seeing myself. I always want to be in that role.

00:25:15:24 – 00:25:30:44
David Martin
Every county, every city’s parks department is kind of the crown jewel of the the municipality of the county. What would you like people to know about how parks work? People want to use parks for everything. They want it to be their park. What would you like people to know about the Parks Department?

00:25:30:44 – 00:25:54:44
Jim O’Conner
Well, number one, we’re out there. Okay. And so you know, hopefully, you know, they’re knowledgeable where the parks are. It’s so important to get your kids out in the parks, you know, get away from the the the computers, get away from the cell phones, the social media, get outside, exercise, walk. And then, of course, the what I’m going to say is make sure you teach your kids to swim.

00:25:54:48 – 00:26:03:37
Jim O’Conner
And that’s what I want them to know about our parks. It’s a wonderful place, to enjoy the sun, exercise and also learn how to swim.

00:26:03:42 – 00:26:05:00
David Martin
What’s the best part of your job?

00:26:05:05 – 00:26:22:39
Jim O’Conner
Best part of my job is, seeing the results and seeing the look on the on the child’s face. When they can swim across that pool. And seeing the look on the parent’s face when they’re totally amazed at how well the child is doing and how important water safety is, I.

00:26:22:39 – 00:26:27:32
David Martin
Have you had anything that that people have gotten back to you and said as a result of this class, this made a.

00:26:27:32 – 00:26:46:39
Jim O’Conner
Difference? A lot of testimonials. Okay. As I mentioned, you know, parent testimonials, loving. And, you know, a lot of those testimonials are coming from parents who don’t know how to swim. Yeah. You know, especially in Miami-Dade, you know, we will have parents that are afraid of the water and that makes them apprehensive about making sure their child knows.

00:26:46:45 – 00:26:57:48
David Martin
Which is too bad, because you’ve got this beautiful water right there. Right? You know, especially it’s a little hot July and August, but the rest of the year it’s beautiful. Right. What keeps you up at night? What are you worried about?

00:26:57:52 – 00:27:13:35
Jim O’Conner
You know, I used to when I was supervising the beaches and pools. Okay, just making sure that, you know, that lifeguard didn’t see that child that was out of the corner of his eye. Okay, now, what keeps me up and is much more positive.

00:27:13:39 – 00:27:13:59
David Martin
Okay.

00:27:14:01 – 00:27:26:22
Jim O’Conner
Knowing that, you know, we’re making a difference and thinking about how we’re going to conserve. You know, we talked about, you know, over 2000 this year, 10,000 next year and then 20,000 when we’re fully, all up and running.

00:27:26:22 – 00:27:30:34
David Martin
You mentioned you went diving, the first time you came down to Miami. Do you still dive?

00:27:30:43 – 00:27:39:24
Jim O’Conner
Not as much. No. You know, and that’s, just something that over the years, I think I kind of took it more for granted, and kind of got out.

00:27:39:30 – 00:27:40:13
David Martin
What do you do for fun?

00:27:40:14 – 00:27:46:55
Jim O’Conner
For fun? You know, mainly I exercise, you know, I love to travel, you know, be at those parks, those type of things, you know, head.

00:27:46:55 – 00:27:48:31
David Martin
Down to the keys and dive a little bit.

00:27:48:33 – 00:27:52:00
Jim O’Conner
We do a little bit like the garden and all that kind of stuff.

00:27:52:05 – 00:28:01:06
David Martin
This is going to be a silly question to cover for me, but, I asked this of most government leaders, you know, mayors and county commissioners. What’s your favorite local dish?

00:28:01:13 – 00:28:12:44
Jim O’Conner
Local dish? Yeah. In Miami. Yeah. Well, hey, my wife’s Cuban. Okay. So, you know, vodka fried. Okay. You know, the I actually, I became the Cuban cook for the family. You did? So.

00:28:12:44 – 00:28:14:50
David Martin
Yes. So you make everything that you should be, right?

00:28:14:59 – 00:28:19:59
Jim O’Conner
Yes. So you’re going to I and the relatives like my cooking better. I don’t know that she’s not going to hear this.

00:28:19:59 – 00:28:23:40
David Martin
Right. Cheers. She. I can’t imagine why she would want to listen. You talk for half an hour.

00:28:23:49 – 00:28:24:20
Jim O’Conner
Okay.

00:28:24:20 – 00:28:29:02
David Martin
What do you think is the most impactful or inspiring thing? That’s parks department in Miami.

00:28:29:02 – 00:28:50:19
Jim O’Conner
Does number one. Okay. For me, it’s, it has to be, you know, teaching kids and so on. Okay. But I’m biased. Okay. Other wonderful things we do, we have a great fit to play program where we’re we’re teaching the children, how to exercise, how to schedule work on, school, work after school, and also be active.

00:28:50:29 – 00:28:57:16
David Martin
So this is a good government show. We always like to bring it back to good government. Give me an example of some good government in the parks department in Metro De.

00:28:57:27 – 00:29:29:39
Jim O’Conner
You know, good government is making sure that, the pools are safe. You know, having the swim instructor certified, having the, lifeguards in place. Also, good government is just making, those parks available to everyone. You know, regardless of economic or, or location in the county. Okay. Yeah. I mean, so that’s what we, we really stress to do, making our programs extremely affordable and in most cases, free.

00:29:29:44 – 00:29:31:57
David Martin
Even greater, even better.

00:29:32:02 – 00:29:36:05
Jim O’Conner
And so we take it from there and just, providing our services to everyone.

00:29:36:15 – 00:29:51:24
David Martin
Jim O’Connor, you are the chief of the Office of Drowning Prevention for Miami-Dade County, the Parks and Recreation and Open Spaces Department. Congratulations on your Naco Achievement award for zero drownings. Miami Dade, teach the kids to swim.

00:29:51:29 – 00:29:52:34
Jim O’Conner
Thank you so much.

00:29:52:37 – 00:30:14:36
David Martin
Thank you. I want to hear more about good government. Check out another show I host leading Iowa good Government in Iowa cities. I host the show with Brad Cavanaugh, mayor of Dubuque, Iowa, and the immediate past president of the Iowa League of Cities. Together, we talked to leaders in Iowa cities. We talk about what works and what good government looks like in Iowa.

00:30:14:41 – 00:30:36:59
David Martin
Join us right here. We listening now that’s leading Iowa. Good government in Iowa. Cities. It was called the War to End All Wars. But it didn’t. Three world cousins all kings, one from England, one from Germany and one from Russia blundered their way into a war, a completely avoidable war that left millions dead in the trenches across Europe.

00:30:37:04 – 00:31:03:16
David Martin
Good government show executive producer Jim Ludlow details the blunders, mistakes and bluster that started World War One that didn’t end all wars. The book The Royal Cousins details the events and creates an alternative history. Imagine a World War one never happened. It didn’t have to just read it yourself. Download the book today on Amazon. It’s just $0.99 and a timely look at the history.

00:31:03:21 – 00:31:20:55
David Martin
I think Jim O’Connor said it best. If a program like this can save one kid from drowning, it’s a good program. Good government can come in all forms and one program teaching kids to be comfortable around the water. Well, that’s good government and it’s something everybody can agree on. And like a true good government servant, he said anyone’s welcome to steal his idea.

00:31:20:55 – 00:31:39:42
David Martin
Just give him a call. That’s spreading good government around. And it’s a good use of government dollars actually, the way the program is structured, the government investment is small. Well, enough of this talk. Time to head to the beach, especially if you’re in South Florida or some other warm place. Surf’s up. That’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like this and share it with your friends and viewers right here.

00:31:39:42 – 00:31:57:58
David Martin
We’re listening and check out our website. Good Government show.com for extras. Help us keep telling stories of good government and action everywhere. Join us again for another episode right here. I’m Dave Martin and this is the Good Government show.

00:31:58:03 – 00:32:36:54
David Martin
The Good Government Show is produced by the Good Government Institute, a nonprofit organization promoting civic engagement and civic education. All donations to the show help promote trust in government. You can donate at Good Govt institute.org. That’s good govt institute.org. Executive producers are Jim Ludlow, Dave Martin, that’s me and David Snyder. Jason Stershic is our editor and producer. Join us again to hear good stories about our government right here on a good government show.

00:32:36:58 – 00:32:39:40
Narrator
This podcast is part of the democracy Group.

**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.