Monthly Archives: February 2010

FIne Is The One Guilty Of Spreading 'False' Info

The following letter to the editor was published in the Star Tribune in response to the counterpoint article by Park Board Commissioner Bob Fine:

FINE IS THE ONE GUILTY OF SPREADING ‘FALSE’ INFO

Bob Fine’s Feb. 15 counterpoint suggests the Star Tribune Feb. 7 editorial, “Good start for new board,” “contained false and misleading information.” The same could be said of his counterpoint.

Fine states that “the minority walked out in objection, but had no alternative suggestion.” In fact, the minority, of which I was a part, proposed that we go back to the five semifinalists, and we had received an indication that some were still interested in the position.

Fine also said that “members of a minority on the board made statements that caused both finalists to leave.” That seems to be a perception on his part. There is no evidence that it was the case.

VIVIAN MASON, MINNEAPOLIS;
MINNEAPOLIS PARK AND RECREATION BOARD COMMISSIONER, 1997-20

A PARK BOARD MANDATE: Fine misrepresents events

On Feb. 7, 2010 the Star Tribune published an editorial which was critical of Park Board Commissioners Bob Fine and Jon Olson. On Feb. 15, the Star Tribune published counterpoint letter from Fine criticizing the editorial.

Fine’s letter elicited the following response, which appeared in the Opinion Exchange on the editorial pages of the Star Tribune on February 18, 2010:

A PARK BOARD MANDATE: Fine misrepresents events

In his Feb. 15 counterpoint to the Feb. 7 Star Tribune editorial “Good start for new board,” Park Board Member Bob Fine claimed that the editorial contained “false and misleading information.” But Fine had his own false and misleading information.

According to Fine, “a one-year search for a superintendent was conducted in 2003.” According to Park Board minutes, the search began in July 2003, when the search firm was voted on. My calendar tells me that July to December is only six months.

Then there is the 2003 hiring of Superintendent Jon Gurban. Isn’t it false and misleading to attempt to whitewash the hiring of a superintendent who had not been screened nor interviewed and was not even present at the meeting when Fine orchestrated the hiring?

Not only were the four 2003 minority commissioners outraged, but so was the public. I was one of several individuals who organized a rally at Park Board headquarters protesting the improper hiring of Gurban. That rally was the beginning of Park Watch.

Fine claims that “Gurban was doing an outstanding job of maintaining the system.” If this were true, the 2009 election would have supported it. But the outcome of the election was a new Park Board majority — Brad Bourn, John Erwin, Anita Tabb, Scott Vreeland, Liz Wielinski and Annie Young — and a mandate for new leadership for our park system. Fine, who supported Gurban and the status quo, became part of the new three-commissioner minority.

When the six new majority commissioners voted to initiate a search for a new superintendent, they were doing so because there was a public mandate to do so. Fine may not agree with them, but the six new majority commissioners did the right thing. And so did the Star Tribune.

ARLENE FRIED, MINNEAPOLIS
COFOUNDER OF PARK WATCH

A Money-Saving Suggestion Regarding the Superintendent's Contract Extension

A MONEY SAVING SUGGESTION REGARDING THE SUPERINTENDENT’S CONTRACT EXTENSION

The following statement was read at Open Time during the February 17, 2010 Park Board meeting:

Commissioners,

I am speaking for the first time to you, the new Board. I welcome all of you, especially those of you who were voted to be on the Board as agents of change.

As the Park Board begins the transition to its new leadership, there has been mention of retaining Superintendent Gurban beyond the June 30th expiration date of his contract. Many of us who follow the Park Board were surprised to hear this because there has been an expectation that the superintendent will be leaving his position when his contract expires.

After all, the board’s new six-commissioner majority was the result of a voters’ mandate for a new superintendent. Many of your supporters were hoping for a buyout of the current superintendent’s contract, but it became apparent that that would not happen. So we were content to be patient and wait for June 30 and the beginning of the long awaited-for transformation.

And now we are hearing that our current superintendent may have his contract extended. Please tell us that this is not true. Please think about the Park Board’s current budgetary constraints and then consider the financial implications of retaining Mr. Gurban after his contract expires.

Based on the superintendent’s annual compensation of $140,000, a four-month extension through October 31 would cost taxpayers approximately $47,000, plus negotiated benefits. A six-month extension through December 31 would cost taxpayers approximately $70,000, plus negotiated benefits.

By not extending Mr. Gurban’s employment, the Park Board would be saving from $47,000 to $70,000, plus cost of benefits. Those savings could be used to offset the costs of the superintendent’s search.

It really makes no sense to retain Mr. Gurban during this transitional period. As for a temporary replacement for the superintendent, there are several staff members who are qualified to assume the superintendent’s responsibilities on a temporary basis: for example, Karen Robinson, Mike Schmidt or Paul Hokeness.

So, in closing, I urge you to honor your fiduciary responsibilities to your constituents. Stay on course and be decisive.

Thank you.

Arlene Fried
Co-founder of Park Watch

February 17, 2010 Park Board Meeting

HEADS-UP FOR THE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010 PARK BOARD MEETING

5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING

5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME

Some highlights of the regular meeting and the committees:

– The Wirth Beach/Picnic Area and Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC).

– Superintendent search process, time line and requests for proposals for a search firm.

– The Lake Harriet concessions building time line.

– Scherer Bros. property. For the first time since it first came before the Board, there is mention of the price–$8.6M.

MPRB meetings are broadcast live from 5-9 p.m. on the City of Minneapolis Government Meeting Channel 79 on Comcast cable and online at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/webcasts.

The regular meetings are rebroadcast on Channel 79 at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Webcasts for the recent two months are posted two to five business days after the meeting and are available for viewing under “Webcast Archives” at the web site.

The complete agenda is on the Park Board’s website minneapolisparks.org.

Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch

Heads Up for February 17, 2010 Park Board Meeting

HEADS-UP FOR THE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010 PARK BOARD MEETING

5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING

5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME

Some highlights of the regular meeting and the committees:

– The Wirth Beach/Picnic Area and Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC).

– Superintendent search process, time line and requests for proposals for a search firm.

– The Lake Harriet concessions building time line.

– Scherer Bros. property. For the first time since it first came before the Board, there is mention of the price–$8.6M.

MPRB meetings are broadcast live from 5-9 p.m. on the City of Minneapolis Government Meeting Channel 79 on Comcast cable and online at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/webcasts.

The regular meetings are rebroadcast on Channel 79 at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Webcasts for the recent two months are posted two to five business days after the meeting and are available for viewing under “Webcast Archives” at the web site.

The complete agenda is on the Park Board’s website minneapolisparks.org.

Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch

Extra Park Board Meeting: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH TO BE DISCUSSED OFF-CAMERA

The Park Board is adding an extra meeting to the Park Board’s monthly meeting schedule. See the following:

Wednesday, February 10, 5:00-7:00 P.M. BOARD MEETING. There are two discussion items on the agenda. One item is a session on leadership. The second item is the Superintendent search process and time.

It is interesting to note that this very high interest topic will be discussed off-camera. Because this is an extra meeting, there will be no telecast of the meeting.

The meeting will take place in the Minnehaha Conference Room.

The agenda is on the Park Board’s website, minneapolisparks.org.

Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch

Superintendent Search To Be Discussed Off-Camera

SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH TO BE DISCUSSED OFF-CAMERA

The Park Board is adding an extra meeting to the Park Board’s monthly meeting schedule. See the following:

Wednesday, February 10, 5:00-7:00 P.M. BOARD MEETING. There are two discussion items on the agenda. One item is a session on leadership. The second item is the Superintendent search process and time.

It is interesting to note that this very high interest topic will be discussed off-camera. Because this is an extra meeting, there will be no telecast of the meeting.

The meeting will take place in the Minnehaha Conference Room.

The agenda is on the Park Board’s website, minneapolisparks.org.

Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch

Harriet Concessions Report In; No Actions, Hearing Until Later

The following article by Cristof Traudes was published in the February 8, 2010 issue of the Southwest Journal:

HARRIET CONCESSIONS REPORT IN; NO ACTIONS, HEARING UNTIL LATER

The citizens’ committee tasked with making recommendations on the future of concessions at Lake Harriet has officially disbanded after completing and presenting its report to the Park Board.

After meetings that lasted from spring through the end of the year, the 12-member group came out with a 342-page document. The committee formed in the wake of a staff proposal that, to change up food options at Lake Harriet, a new building be put up to house concession staples such as popcorn and ice cream.

As expected, the group’s report went in another direction. While expanded food offerings are part of the recommendation, the committee suggested changing the interior layout of the existing refectory building, eliminating its breezeway to allow for more kitchen space. Not part of the recommendation: a new building.

Commissioners praised the committee for its extensive work, which involved almost double the number of originally scheduled meetings, as well as surveys, a community open house and a social media website.

“I’ve never seen a report like this,” Commissioner Bob Fine said. “I think they’ve done a tremendous job.”

The board isn’t expected to take any immediate action or hold public hearings on building changes until a new vendor is found, General Manager Don Siggelkow said. It’s possible, he said, that a concessionaire could be found who would be able to expand food options without changes to the existing building, “although I doubt it.”

Siggelkow said the process will be laid out at the board’s Feb. 17 meeting.

Concessions will remain as is this summer.

Star Tribune Editorial: Good Start For New Board

The following editorial appeared in the February 7, 2010 edition of the Star Tribune:

GOOD START FOR NEW BOARD

Minneapolis Park Board signals a new era with Gurban vote.

Disingenuous is perhaps the most charitable term to describe several
longtime Minneapolis Park Board commissioners’ objections to a search for
a new superintendent.

On Wednesday, the Park and Recreation Board voted 6-3 against extending
the contract of current superintendent Jon Gurban. A block of four new
commissioners who want new leadership drove the vote. Community relations,
never a strong suit for Gurban, will be a priority in years to come when
private funding must replace ever-shrinking taxpayer funds. It’s time for
a leader with innovative ideas.

Two holdover commissioners who opposed the decision deserve to be called
out for their outrageous comments. Bob Fine warned that a search would be
costly. Jon Olson accused the board of acting hastily. Carol Kummer also
voted no.

If anything set the Park Board’s high-water mark for hastiness, it was
board’s controversial 2003 vote to hire Gurban. He wasn’t even a finalist
for the job and hadn’t been interviewed. Yet he was whisked before the
board and essentially hired on the spot for a job that now pays about
$140,000 a year. Olson, Fine and Kummer served on the board at the time
and voted to hire Gurban.

Another milestone in hastiness was set in November — 24 hours after city
voters elected four new board members — when some on the old board tried
to extend Gurban’s contract through June 2011. It was a blatant attempt to
usurp the new board’s authority. But at that point, hastiness was a plus
from Olson and Fine’s perspective. They urged the old commissioners to act
quickly to avoid a lapse in leadership, even though Gurban’s contract
didn’t end for eight months.

Fine’s concerns about money are interesting, too. If Gurban’s contract had
been extended, it would have cost the new board about $100,000 for a
buyout — if it didn’t want to be saddled for over a third of its
four-year tenure with a superintendent not of its choosing.

The November vote dramatically changed the board. The new commissioners —
Liz Wielinski, Brad Bourn, John Erwin and Anita Tabb — are thoughtful and
in touch with voters; their vote to look for new leadership reflected
this. They were joined by respected veteran commissioners Scott Vreeland
and Annie Young. Park Board members deriding this decision as premature
should consider their own track records.

Minneapolis Park Board To Seek Superintendent

The following article by Steve Brandt was published in the February 4, 2010 issue of the Star Tribune:

MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD TO SEEK SUPERINTENDENT

Minneapolis park commissioners agreed Wednesday to search for a new superintendent to run the city’s renowned park system.

The Park and Recreation Board voted to find a replacement for Superintendent John Gurban, whose contract expires June 30. Gurban didn’t respond to a request for comment.

His pending ouster reflects last year’s election, which seated a board majority that favored new leadership. The board said it would be open both to inside candidates and those from other systems.

The vote was 6-3 with John Erwin, Brad Bourn, Anita Tabb, Scott Vreeland, Liz Wielinski and Annie Young supporting a search, and Bob Fine, Jon Olson and Carol Kummer opposing it.

Last year’s board considered extending Gurban’s contract, but it deferred that decision to the board seated last month, which has four newcomers among its nine commissioners. But a committee recommendation to launch a search prompted heated and lengthy debate.

“I think we’re making a terrible mistake tonight,” said Olson, a holdover commissioner. He accused the majority of acting hastily. But Wielinski, who was elected from northeast Minneapolis, said many voters told her they wanted a leadership change. Fine warned that a search would be costly.

Park commissioners last evaluated Gurban in late 2008. They gave him high marks for leadership, especially with park staff, and judged him highly competent. But they also repeated previous criticisms that he had difficulty communicating with the board and public. He was named superintendent in late 2004 on a 5-4 vote by a bitterly split board.

The park system’s accomplishments under Gurban included adopting the system’s first comprehensive plan in decades, improving winter recreation options at Wirth Park, buying the financially failing Edison hockey arena, launching an annual parkways bike tour, planning completion of the parkway system on the city’s East Side and connecting the city to the Luce Line trail.