“It’s the anger of the state. Everybody in the state is so angry and that translates down to school boards, cities, villages and towns.” – Mayor Howie Reynolds
By Maureen Vander Sanden
SLN staff
“I don’t know what to say. There’s no plan, there’s no nothing.”
Those were the words from Mayor Howie Reynolds shortly after the City Council made a decision Monday that he was adamantly opposed to – eliminating Elkhorn’s director of parks and recreation from city payroll.
In a 4-2 vote, the Council eliminated the position that has been held by Jeff Simons over the past decade – action Reynolds views as the result of a “witch hunt.”
Others agreed.
“It’s not fiduciary, it’s personal. (Alderwoman Kim DaHaan) has had it out for Jeff since she was elected,” Alderman Scott McClory, who voted against the elimination, said during the meeting.
Reynolds suggested the action is another sign of the times of peaking political tensions.
“It’s the anger of the state,” he said. “Everybody in the state is so angry and that translates down to school boards, cities, villages and towns.
“I am just appalled,” he added. “I think we are taking a big step back.”
Parks programs, according to the mayor, provide an outlet for youth in Elkhorn, and make the city a more attractive place to live.
With no solid plan to replace Simons, or to restructure the department, Reynolds fears the city’s tax roll could take a hit, suggesting families may opt to move into surrounding communities, with more luring programs, where they will also pay taxes and do business.
But according to DeHaan, who led the campaign to do away with Simons’ job, the parks and recreation program is not going anywhere.
“Our intention is to restructure parks and recreation to make it more efficient and improve our focus solely on development of recreation in our community,” she said. “We want to see it grow.”
DeHaan, supported by the Council’s newest aldermen Brian Olson, Jim D’Alessandro, and Jerry Anderson, said the cut would restore $71,000 in wages and benefits to the budget.
By shuffling two full-time staffers into the Public Works Department, she said a position could be created to focus solely on the recreation component of the job.
Olson said currently the position is charged with overseeing three divisions – recreational programs, parks and forestry.
By making recreation its own entity, Olson said the city could begin building revenue to pay for necessities like new fencing at local ball parks.
He said with the emerald ash borer threat to the city’s canopy, for example, dollars would likely not be spent on youth programs but designated elsewhere.
“They’re going to have to start cutting down trees,” he said.
But the city already budgets for specific programs, as pointed out by resident Tim Shiefelbein, who was one of more than 20 present to speak against the move.
DeHaan said that during her three years as alderwoman, she has gotten a number of complaints regarding the department’s shortcomings.
Last year, she successfully worked to change policy on the city’s vehicle program, which allowed the parks director a take-home vehicle – a benefit she and others viewed as unnecessary for the job.
With a changeover in Council after April’s election, DeHaan said last Friday she no longer has the resistance from her elected colleagues to move away from having a full-time director.
“I was a strong proponent of (eliminating), but I had a hard time getting the previous Council on board,” she explained.
On Sept. 10, she got the pull she needed, after the Human Resources Committee which she chairs, approved the action for the full Council’s consideration on Monday.
Attempts to reach Simons at work and home for comment were unsuccessful. Last week, he was out on administrative leave.
DeHaan said now, when the recreational programs are beginning to wrap up for the season, is a good time to begin making the transition of operating without a parks director.
“Our initial thought is to use these next few months to brainstorm exactly where the Recreation Department is headed,” she wrote in an email to the Council Sept. 14.
McClory said Monday that by simply getting rid of Simons, the city would not be doing its due diligence to see through a smooth transition. He said Simons should have been given specific benchmarks and evaluated in order to put the city in a better position before saying “you’re fired.”
“This is not good for the city, there needs to be a transition,” he stressed before the vote, citing ongoing issues that need a go-to person, such as the emerald ash borer threat and considering recent requests for proposals submitted by engineers two weeks ago regarding options for the future of Sunset Park pool.
DeHaan suggested on several occasions that the position be made part-time to oversee programs that run from spring through fall; however others on the Council suggested no new hire at all. D’Alessandro said he wanted to see the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board take on a larger more relevant role in the absence of an administrator.
It is unknown how the city will proceed.
Sara Zillmer, administrative assistant for the department, said she spent all of last week, when Simons was out, doing his work, and unable to keep up with her own duties. She questioned how cutting the department head could possibly expand programs.
Prior to Monday, the department was comprised of a full-time director, administrative assistant, and two field crew workers, as well as part-time seasonal hires. The city budgeted a total of $391,093 for total wages and benefits for the department this year.
Simons managed about a $568,000 budget for facilities, programs, parks and forestry.
In 2011, for recreational activities, the city generated nearly $110,000 in revenue and more than $10,000 for facility rentals. This year, the city brought in more than $43,000 from sales at the city pool.
DeHaan said despite the quick action, and perceived “witch hunt,” other city staffers should feel secure about their jobs.
“I think the city runs very well as far as staff. This particular department was one that was most visual and needed more help,” she said.
She also said she is committed to seeing the clouded process through.
“We didn’t just stir it up to stir it up and walk away,” she added. “We are committed to making the process a good transition.”
