Candidates line up to be San Francisco's next Rec and Park leader
By: Beth Winegarner
Examiner Staff Writer
January 5, 2009
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| Keeping The City green: San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department consists of 232 sites, 1,000 employees and an annual budget of $136 million. (Examiner file photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Candidates hoping for a shot at running The City’s expansive Recreation and Park Department have just a few more days to get their résumés in and join the roughly 30 candidates already in the running.
The hunt for San Francisco’s next Rec and Park director kicked off in September, when former General Manager Yomi Agunbiade announced he was stepping down.
Department of the Environment Director Jared Blumenfeld has been filling in since mid-October while a national search firm hired by The City recruits a long-term replacement to run the system, which includes 232 sites, 1,000 employees and an annual budget of $136 million.
Although Blumenfeld initially hinted that his stay would only last three months, he told The Examiner he won’t leave until a permanent director is found.
“I knew then it’d be unlikely to be three months,” Blumenfeld said. “I’m here for as long as it takes.”
The deadline to submit résumés is Friday, according to Micki Callahan, director of the San Francisco Human Resources Department. The search firm will work with a city-appointed panel to narrow down the finalists, who will be forwarded to the Recreation and Park Commission for consideration.
The final decision could come sometime this spring, Callahan said. Mayor Gavin Newsom has ultimate hiring power for department heads, according to his staff.
Callahan would not disclose whether any of the applicants work within Rec and Park or run similar departments in other cities. Blumenfeld said he is not a candidate for the position, which pays between $155,766 and $198,822 annually.
Agunbiade stepped down after months of rumors that his job was in jeopardy and days after closed-door talks with Newsom. \
Members of the public called for Agunbiade’s ouster, after he earned a reputation for being unfriendly to volunteers and staff. One employee, former spokeswoman Rose Marie Dennis, filed a complaint against Agunbiade, alleging that he harassed her.
Since taking the reins, Blumenfeld has visited more than 120 city parks by bicycle and is taking careful notes on amenities and problems at each site, partly to give the next manager some direction, he said.
The next director will also have to contend with a budget trimmed by $8.8 million.
“You don’t make cuts of that size without a strategic vision,” he said. “We have more open space than almost any other city in the United States. Everyone’s going to have to bend a little to make this work.”
Department breakdown
The City’s Recreation and Park Department is looking for a new chief.
Position: General manager of the Recreation and Park Department
Salary: $155,766 to $198,822
Responsibilities: Manage 232 sites, 1,000 employees, 10 building trades, 17 unions, 60 leases, a $136 million budget, a $185 million bond program and $1 billion in deferred maintenance
Source: San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
