Now outside state government, Eichler is gaining a foothold as executive coordinator of Stand Up For What's Right and Just, a 2-year-old nonprofit organization aimed at reforming the state's criminal-justice system. He might now be expected to be a thorn in the side of the government he once served, except that much of it - including the state's criminal court judges, a number of lawmakers and Stanley W. Taylor Jr., the state correction commissioner - are on his side.

Pushing for change

Eichler hopes that support will translate within the next few months to enactment of a legislative proposal to mitigate the impact of mandatory minimum drug sentences. The group wants judges to have the flexibility to bypass the mandatory penalties in certain cases, such as those involving first-time offenders.

"I think it's fair to say we're still in our takeoff stage," Eichler said, noting that 18 organizations around the state signed on last year in support of the group's failed first effort on the sentencing-reform bill.

"We're motivated by certain facts, such as the high incarceration rate and the high number of people under [Department of Correction] supervision," he said. "We're also motivated by the high expenditures for our criminal justice system and the fact that 98 percent of these incarcerated people are going to go home again."

Eichler's government obligation ended as Carper left the governor's office for a U.S. Senate seat in January 2001. Former Lt. Gov. Dale Wolf, a founder and chairman of Stand Up, said the timing was fortuitous for the group, which was looking for a man like Eichler to get out its message.

Eichler came to Delaware in 1979 to become director of environmental control for the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. He previously honed his credentials over six years as a top environmental official in the administration of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller of New York, getting credit for brokering a Delaware River management plan among five parties, including the state of Delaware.

Before joining the Castle administration in January 1985, Eichler served about 18 months as a regional administrator for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, overseeing EPA's enforcement activities in Delaware, four other states and the District of Columbia.

Despite his job history, Eichler says he never considered himself an environmentalist or a social worker. "I was in government services," he said, "developing policy and implementation of services. That was my goal when I was a political science student - to be in public service."

As he left government service, Eichler said, he was drawn by people he respected, such as former Gov. Russell Peterson and Wolf, to the opportunity to be chief spokesman for the new organization.

"It seemed like a very interesting project with a tall agenda and a lot of outstanding people leading the organization," he said.