Letter to the Editor: Park Board president addresses Facebook comment, former commissioner and fiscal solvency

I tried really hard to not to get involved.

As an elected official, it’s important to recognize your role, and when it’s important to make a statement and when to allow the dust to settle.  However, a comment made about the employees of the Quincy Park District was so egregious that it requires rebuttal.

A Facebook commenter stated that the “inmates” were running “the asylum” at the Park District.  This is not only condescending but disrespectful to the men and women who execute the mission of serving our community and working tirelessly as entrusted land stewards.  Pardon my French, but that comment really burns my ass, and as anyone whom has seen a picture of me knows,  I’m already quite tanned.

I recognize that I have not resided in Quincy as long as some of my peers, but I’m quite certain that neither a correctional nor a mental health facility currently exists at 1231 Bonansinga Drive.  The men and women who are employed by the Quincy Park District are not children running aimlessly around the building in need of corralling. They are consummate professionals who are accessible to the community and take their jobs seriously. The board operates as a vehicle to enact policy, not engage in an operational capacity. That’s why we have an executive director. The public is empowered to chime in on how well that position is executing policy which, at the end of the day, is driven by expertise and public input.

We all know that the election is coming on April 1. A field of candidates have put pen to paper and stepped up to fill or replace open seats.  This is the Democratic process at its finest.  Transparency has been one of my goals during my time on the board, so I’m prepared to do something that most political figures are afraid to do — lift the veil and share with the public the impact this election has had on the people who make the magic of the Park District happen.

When word reached the headquarters building that a former commissioner was actively campaigning after resigning and having received sanctions voted upon by the board, the morale of the organization plummeted.  I received multiple communications that were relayed via park leadership that expressed anxiety, disdain, uncertainty and a myriad of other emotions regarding the potential return of the former commissioner.

As a leader, it’s my responsibility to not only listen to the concerns of the community but those of the team. The people who get the job done.  Embracing a team philosophy requires a leader to recognize that it’s impossible to be the sole authority on every subject, which is why most effective leaders engage with contributors from multiple disciplines.  The organization is bigger than any one person. If any person feels more competent to fulfill that role, they are welcome to quit their day job and submit a resume. 

I met with team leaders and staff last week to learn firsthand about their fears. The results were shocking. I noted that a full room of people who have made careers of serving our community were actively contemplating whether or not to remain with the district. Let that sink in. Because of the impending return of an unpaid volunteer, employees were actively reconsidering their career paths.  This is our busiest time of year. Any loss in staff could have detrimental effects on our ability to complete programming this summer. 

Service and certification for Quincy Park District staff

There has also been concern that public lands may again be in jeopardy of being sold for unknown gain. Before I assumed a role on the Park Board, a previous commissioner suggested to the board selling three acres of land in Parker Heights Park. Statute requires that public lands of that size be approved by the public via referendum. However, those parcels were subdivided into one-acre plots, thereby circumventing public input.

The late John Gebhardt, a past commissioner, decorated veteran and avid conservationist, campaigned heavily against this action, but his cries fell on deaf ears.  It is an affront to his memory to allow private entities to receive land that the taxpayers pay for, and for pennies on the dollar, at that. The Quincy Park District is not a realty agency. Who actively lobbies for public land to be sold anyway? I’ll let the people figure that out. 

Another parcel of land was suggested for sale to a private party last year, and that sale was voted down.

Also, there have been a series of concerns regarding the fiscal solvency of the district — specifically, the salaries of some of our park leaders. I want to address those concerns head on and explain how this transpired. 

Last year, in the midst of labor negotiations for the upcoming year, the Park Board received a notice from the Department of Labor requiring the district to comply with mandatory minimums. Our team crunched the numbers and worked out a mechanism to comply with the order.  Recognizing that the Park District would have to do some restructuring, the Park Board reviewed the impact this would have on the pay scale as a whole.  Each affected person was interviewed about how the order would impact them, and told that this increase was going to “have to hold you over for awhile” — meaning that the increase would not be nearly as substantial in subsequent years and may potentially face a cap, based on district finances.  

The mandate eventually was rescinded, but we had already negotiated with labor and interviewed affected staff and shared with them their new salaries.  If your employer shared with you next year’s salary, then told you later, “Never mind,” how would you feel?  I believe we did the right thing by honoring our promise. If you can’t trust the people in positions above you to keep their word, it erodes trust in the organization, whether it’s government or the private sector. The salaries that the Quincy Park District pay are a combination of base pay and a benefit package. We all know healthcare costs are growing by the minute, and we want our team members to have access to the same healthcare many in our community share. 

In closing, I won’t point any fingers, but in healthcare, the board of directors doesn’t visit your doctor, nurse practitioner or registered nurse to tell them how to do their job.  When you visit the casino, you’d be hard pressed to find their board members glaring over the shoulders of the pit bosses. Why should the Quincy Park District be any different?  

Experience is a great teacher, but it isn’t the only one. Elected officials should be accountable to the communities which they serve, but they should also be effective communicators and work in tandem with the career professionals who get the job done.

If they don’t feel that’s being accomplished, they can always grab a rake and lend a hand. 

Mark C. Philpot
President, Quincy Park District Board of Commissioners 
Quincy, Illinois