The Collinsville Area Recreation District Board of Commissioners appointed Susan Zaber as interim Executive Director in a special meeting Monday evening.
Susan Zaber was named the interim executive director of CARD during a special Board of Commissioners meeting Monday / Photo by Dominic Baima
Zaber came to CARD in Jan. 2011 after serving 15 years as a human resources and operations professional for places such as Washington University, Spectrum Healthcare Resources and Corporate Fitness Works. When Zaber joined CARD, originally as an administrative assistant, the intention was to have a less stressful job, she said. Those plans changed a year after she joined the financially troubled parks and recreation district.
Zaber took on some human resources, liabilities and claims work after two jobs were eliminated in 2012. Now, her primary goal is to work with everyone at CARD to keep the district going, she said.
Continuing the work of former Executive Director Terry Wilson, to move the district into a positive light, is important, Zaber said. Wilson earned Zaber’s praise for his work during the 18 months that he was with the district.
“Terry was great,” Zaber said. “He is one of the most genuine, dedicated, people I have ever worked for.”
The CARD staff, Zaber said, will be of great assistance during her interim tenure.
“It’s not just me,” Zaber said. “Just as when those two positions were eliminated in 2012, everyone here has stepped up and is trying to be part of a team.”
Wilson resigned Thursday, citing the district’s bleak financial situation caused by what he termed “decades of mismanagement” and worsened by the passage of three referendums last year that reduced CARD’s operating budget by 25 percent. Ongoing frustrations with members of the Board of Commissioners also contributed to his decision, Wilson said, citing a “fundamental disconnect in management style and substance between myself and the board.”
All four board members present Monday supported the referendums. Mary Ann Bitzer was absent. Treasurer Mark Achenbach spearheaded the initiative to get the referendums on the ballot.
Zaber’s appointment as interim director was the obvious choice, Board President David Tanzyus said. He met with the district’s executive staff Friday and they all agreed Zaber was the best choice for the position, Tanzyus said. The four commissioners present Monday unanimously approved Zaber’s appointment.
Tanzyus said Zaber accepted the position out of loyalty to the district and her co-workers and will serve more of facilitator role. The heads of each department are very knowledge and do not need much direct supervision.
“We have good parks people,” Tanzyus said. “The people in the district stone cold have it.”
Finding a replacement for Wilson could be a long process, Tanyzus said, possibly going until the middle of the summer or early fall. The search will be expanded to include not only candidates with parks experience, but also people with public finance and public administration backgrounds, Tanzyus said.
Dealing with the district’s financial woes will be a top priority for the new director. “We’re in a position where we have over 50% of our money going to pay debt,” Tanzyus said.
Wilson came to CARD after serving over 20 years as the director of the Fairview Heights Park District.
When he joined CARD, Wilson said a park district is to provide fun. “We provide relaxation and excitement, along with giving patrons a chance to learn skills and teamwork to help them grow as individuals. Our job is to make somebody else’s life better,” he said.
Saying it is hard to unwind years of mismanagement (before Wilson), Tanzyus’ description of the existing district did not include fun, relaxation or excitement. “There is a lot of pressure and stress on everyone here. It’s like being in a pressure cooker,” Tanzyus said.
The referendums cutting CARD’s budget were passed less than one year after Wilson took over the district.
Speaking after Zaber’s appointment was approved, Collinsville resident Jim Grobmeier called for the current Board to pass a resolution to get referendums on the ballot to reverse the 25 percent operating budget reduction. The referendums that passed last year, Grobmeier noted, saved each household in the district about $30 per year and reduced CARD’s operating budget by approximately $224,000.
“We, the tax payers, want CARD to be here for the people and for the children,” Grobmeier said.
Grobmeier questioned why the finance committee had not met in “some time,” as board member Patrick Collins noted at a special meeting Wilson called on March 3 to get direction from the Board on how to resolve an immediate budget crisis. Collins, who serves on the committee with Achenbach, said Monday that the two had not met as the finance committee since early December.
Grobmeier concluded his address to the board with a question.
“We the people want to know if the current members of CARD are trying to destroy the district from within or are you trying to do something for the people?”
Joe Ashman, of Collinsville, addressing the board, said they were all good people, but had lost course.
“I don’t think the problem down here was Terry Wilson or the staff,” Ashman said. “I think he was the real deal. He had a great rapport with the staff and he did a great job. From my standpoint, the problem down here is the board. I think you are dysfunctional.”
