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Tom Hyland:
Foundation in Truth
By Lydia Freeman
From childhood to political work to
archaeological research, Tom Hyland’s life
has been characterized by an unbending
dedication to truth.
“People will say to you, ‘Tell me what
you really think,’ and I always said what
I really thought,” explained Hyland. “I
stood my ground and stayed with it when
I thought it was right. I faced a lot of
controversy when working with Senator
Waddell. You learn to take the heat.”
Born into the coal mining town of Powhatan Point, Oh., Hyland
learned strength and truth. He described the farmland as tough due
to the hills and rocks. Most who did not farm were in the coal
mines.
“My father was a united mine workers president for a district
which included Ohio andWest Virginia,” Hyland recollected. “Fifty
years as president. Can you believe that? He was in mines since he
was ten years olds … back then he fed mules. When he was twelve
when he went into mines. He mined coal with pick and shovel.”
The story of Hyland’s wife, Donna Hyland,
is similar. A hard life on a farm with hogs and
cattle.
“She would milk the cattle,” said Hyland.
“She had the strongest hands I’ve seen on a
woman. Strong, but small.”
This small town life of coal mines, farms, and
strong hands led to strong ethical convictions;
there was a deep sense of right and wrong.
“It was always a strong thing—do the right
thing,” explained Hyland. “We had a lot of
teachers. We thought they were old fashioned
sometimes. These were being constantly
drummed into us: do the right thing. Tell the
truth. Even when it hurts. We learned it.”
Hyland left Powhattan Point for the Navy,
followed by college, followed by teaching.
Afterwards, Hyland began working in the
political sphere of Washington D.C.
“When I came to Washington, my mother
said, ‘Be sure you’re doing the ethical thing,’”
said Hyland.
And with that piece of wisdom, Hyland began what he called a
series of “25-30 distinct jobs” that would, upon his retirement from
David Bailey Associates, end with the Virginia Senate passing a
joint resolution commending him for his ethical conduct and
effectiveness.
“I heard about a program in 1961 where people were taken to do
work for the federal government,” said Hyland. “I got very lucky. I
happened to meet the right person who invited me to work in what
you might call a think tank for the civil service commission. I had
a chance to do a lot of work on Capitol Hill with a congressman
who did legislation.”
Following that program was Hyland’s selection into the
Congressional Fellows Program. He spent a year working as a
legislative assistant for a Democratic senator. Then he spent time
working an assistant for a Republican.
“That was interesting,” Hyland chuckled. “It made me turn into
an Independent.”
Along with other various work experiences, this propelled
Hyland toward his next career: “troubleshooting.” He was sent to
various organizations he described as “dysfunctional.” Budgets
were out of control and communication between team members
was frayed at best.
“People couldn’t work together,” explained Hyland. “There
was no leadership at the top. You had to go in and build some kind
of teamwork. You had to pound on a few desks and wake people up
to what they were supposed to be doing.”
During one of his troubleshooting jobs, Hyland found himself
as the director of personnel, as well as the director of labor
relations, at an anti-poverty organization. This was not an unusual
situation for Hyland.
“I remember one case with the Department of Transportation in
1967,” said Hyland. “I had three desks in three different locations.”
To meet the knowledge demands of his work, Hyland learned:
he read, took basic management courses, pulled on his education
in history and political science. He built a wealth of background
knowledge that allowed him a deeper understanding of what
individuals and organizations he worked with might be facing.
“I learned the job that you are doing in the federal government
is that you are trying to seek the truth and take away biases,”
Hyland reflected. “History and political science gave me a good
background in fundamentals.”
From there, a friend, Senator Charles Waddell, asked him to
work for him as a legislative assistant. He assumed leadership of
the Transportation Management Association in Virginia, the Dulles
Area Transportation Association (DATA).
Waddell spoke highly of Hyland’s work, calling him his “right-
hand man” for the twenty plus years Hyland
worked with Waddell.
“Tom worked for me as my Legislative
Assistant for most of my senate career,” said
Waddell. “He was invaluable to my legislative
success which included the creation of a
transportation tax district for Route 28. He
also helped me formulate and sponsor the
private toll road legislation which led to the
first private toll in Virginia since 1820—(the
Dulles Greenway).”
Waddell also said that Hyland had a grasp
on issues affecting Loudoun and Northern
Virginia outside of his transportation expertise.
This wealth of knowledge on consumer issues,
environmental issues, and local government
allowed Hyland to approach his work with
dynamic understanding.
“He agreed with me that the Dillon
Rule [doctrine which greatly limits local
government] was obsolete and many local
governments have the knowledge and
sophistication to govern themselves without going hat and hand to
Richmond (The Holy City) for enabling legislation for mundane
issues such as the ‘Bottle Bill’ etc.,” explained Waddell.
In 1988 Hyland began working as a lobbyist for Apartment and
Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington.
“I thought I wouldn’t last long because I had a habit of speaking
the truth,” Hyland said. “But I worked with them for fifteen years.”
Hyland described the group as “highly professional.”
“They didn’t ask you to do anything against your own ethical
standards,” Hyland explained. “You could explain your position.”
In the early 1980s Hyland met David Bailey, the president of
David Bailey Associates, a full-service public relations, government
affairs, and lobbying firm. Years later, he would leave his former
position as a lobbyist in order to take a position with Bailey’s firm.
“That was a real change for me,” said Hyland. “I found a kindred
soul and a man who operated on very high ethical standards. His
word was his bond. I worked with David for five to six years. This
was interesting because he had a wide variety of clients. He had all
types of things. It went beyond office building association.
hyland
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