Mayor-elect intends to retain park director

December 21, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Mayor-elect John A. McNally announced Friday that he intends to retain Robert Burke as park and recreation director in the city’s new administration.

After McNally takes office Jan. 1, the park and recreation division will fall under the city’s Department of Public Works.

McNally said he hopes city council will confirm Burke’s appointment next month.

“Burke enjoys great support from city council, park-department employees and neighborhood groups. I know he will lead the development of a stronger and more-vibrant park system for our residents,” McNally said.

In March 2012, Burke was hired by the city’s park and recreation commission as its director after he went through the civil-service employment process.

On Nov. 5, the city’s voters approved by a 64-36 percent margin a charter amendment taking effect Jan. 1, which will eliminate the five-member commission, created in 1935, and will give the mayor the authority to hire and fire the park director.

“My goal is to make our parks the best in the state, eventually,” Burke said after the mayor-elect made the announcement.

Burke said he wants to develop strong partnerships with organizations such as the YMCA and the Jewish Community Center to establish quality programming that will draw more people to the city’s parks.

He also said he’d like to cut down dead, curb-line street trees and plant new trees where needed.

In addition to maintaining street trees, the city park system oversees more than 35 parks and playgrounds; grass medians on streets, including Fifth Avenue and Rush and Euclid boulevards; the nine-hole Stambaugh Golf Course on Gypsy Lane; and the Baird Plot Cemetery on Griselda Avenue in Fosterville.

Burke said he wants to attract more members and players to the golf course and expand the youth golf program he started there last summer.

McNally already has announced he intends to retain fire Chief John J. O’Neill Jr., Finance Director David Bozanich, Water Commissioner Harry L. Johnson III, and Buildings and Grounds Commissioner Sean McKinney.

The first council meeting of the new year will be at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 2, with a finance committee meeting preceding it at 4:45 p.m..