Mill Creek Park Board Meeting - Tuesday, September 18

[iwasthere]

put pressure on the probate judge to replace them. belinkey is the one that selects these inds to rep the mah valley com.

[jay]

The Mill Creek Park Board, just like Youngstown City Council, chooses to ignore any input from the public/taxpayers.

What should the public do next?

[Towntalk]

WYTV-33 NEWS

The Mill Creek MetroParks Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the hiring of golf director Dennis Miller as the new executive director, without allowing any public comment.

The hiring took less a minute. The motion was presented, seconded and passed unanimously with four votes because one member was not present for the meeting. But the nine people who showed up to question Miller's hiring were originally not allowed to speak.

Miller made news in June when he qualified for the U.S. Open. 

"The park belongs to the taxpayers and we should have a say in who the director is. This is wrong. This is America," said one woman who left the meeting.

Commissioner Bob Durick said the meeting was advertised as an executive session and no public comment was allowed.

A few people, including former Youngstown City Councilman Jerry McNally, remained behind and made their comments anyway.

"No wonder people are upset. You're going to hire someone in a week without even checking out other people? Nobody knows this guy's qualifications. There's people in this room just as qualified, if not more," McNally said.

Others at the meeting also questioned Miller's qualifications to be park director.

"All he's done is golf. What does he know about the park? I teach classes at the Davis Center. I am a tour guide. I know this park better than he does," said Frank Nolasco of Youngstown.

McNally said he was disappointed in the way the meeting was conducted.

"If there was more openness, people would be more supportive, but to ram this down people's throats is not right. The last two hires were not very good and you paid for it. You better start being more open or you will bring a negative outlook on the whole park. And then try to pass another levy," McNally said.

Durick said public comments would be allowed at a meeting next week, but Nolasco questioned the logic of allowing public comment after a hire already had been made.

Park Board Commissioner Louis Schiavoni did speak on Miller's behalf, saying he'll probably be one of the best directors the park has ever had.

"He's a disciplinarian. You'll be surprised at what a great hire he is if you give him a chance," Schiavoni said.

Miller did not attend the meeting because he was in Toledo playing golf.

Some members of a group that call themselves the Guardians of Mill Creek Park said they want a search committee formed, with environmentalists on it, to determine who will be the next park director.

They plan on presenting their petition at the next meeting.

       

[jay]

I've heard that Channel 33 covered this meeting.  Watch the news on TV tonight.

[jay]

Mill Creek Park Board
Special Meeting
(Board will adjourn into executive session)

Tuesday, September 18, 6:45 p.m.

- Location -
Birch Hill Cabin
McCollum Road
(across from Lily Pond)
Youngstown, Ohio