Parks Department reorganization a ‘major challenge’ for mayor | News


NEWBURYPORT — Mayor Sean Reardon’s controversial plan to dismantle the Parks Department and merge it with the Department of Public Services has generated plenty of negative attention for his new administration, but it also presents arguably the biggest challenge he has faced so far, according to multiple city councilors.

The City Council is expected to be handed the mayor’s proposal to streamline city government during its meeting Monday, a proposal that Councilor at large Connie Preston said is a “big test” for Reardon.

Ward 5 and 6 Councilors James McCauley and Byron Lane echoed Preston’s sentiment, both calling Reardon’s plan a “major challenge.”

“The previous administrations had spent time slowly expanding government,” McCauley said. “This is one of the first times the government is reorganizing. In that context, it is a major challenge for any mayor not just a new mayor,” McCauley said.

In an email, Reardon said he is “excited” about the plan and wanted to recognize the Parks Department, DPS and his staff for creating it.

“I think most things that go through the City Council are challenging and they should be. This was an outcomes-based decision to move the Parks Department under DPS and I look forward to sharing this plan with the Council,” Reardon wrote.

Reardon said cutting the Parks Department would save upward of $105,000 a year, representing more than 20% of the current Parks Department budget.

“This move is about operational efficiencies, which goes beyond a budget number, and we are expecting better outcomes for our parks even with the cost savings because of the more efficient processes and use of city resources,” he said. “We feel good about this plan, and look forward to providing the high quality of services to parks that residents expect.”

Reardon’s plan is mentioned prominently in a five-page report compiled by Community Paradigm Associates and commissioned by his office. Community Paradigm spent weeks assessing the city’s government structure and looked at ways of cutting expenses. The report, which drew complaints for being flimsy and lacking detail, recommends cutting the number of agencies under the mayor’s control from 21 to 17.

“It is a big challenge for him,” Lane said. “It’s people’s lives you’re talking about.

“It’s a hard thing to do,” he added. “He’s going to get a lot of heat for that.”

In what many considered a premature move, Reardon informed former Parks Director Lise Reid on July 8 that her position would be eliminated. In response, multiple city councilors accused Reardon of violating the city’s charter by not filing an administrative order with the council before terminating Reid’s employment with the city.

But Reardon said Reid was still an employee, having not yet signed off on a severance package he offered her. Reardon also argued, in a written statement, that the reorganization has not happened yet and he plans on submitting a reorganization plan to the council per the charter on Monday.

“Change is not easy and it is always difficult when it involves an employee who worked for the city for a number of years,” Reardon said in the same email. “I am putting forward this administrative order and accompanying information because I strongly believe that the best path forward to care for these parks and ultimately to serve the residents and taxpayers of Newburyport is a reorganization that will produce better outcomes while also delivering a cost savings at the same time.”

Reardon added that Reid remains a city employee.

Reid said via text that the deadline to accept the severance package was July 29, but her lawyer asked the city for an extension. As of Wednesday, Reid has yet to learn whether it was granted.

Preston said part of the council’s job is to uphold the charter and to “put his feet to the fire” if he violated it.

The council, according to McCauley, is not expected to vote on the proposal during Monday’s meeting but rather refer it to the council’s Neighborhood and City Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over the city parks and the nontraffic part of the Department for Public Services.

Once in committee, the group could recommend changes before sending it back to the council, likely by Aug. 29. There will also be at least one public hearing on the proposal before any vote is taken, according to McCauley.

Preston said the mayor’s challenge will be to prove the proposal is a “good move,” a task she called a “high hurdle” to clear.

If he can, Preston said she would be hard-pressed to vote against it.

“I just don’t know if he can prove it,” Preston said.

Dave Rogers is editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.


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