Ray McGury is doing a fantastic job. All you knuckleheads can hide behind your anonymous monikers and go stick your head in the centennial beach sand.

Dear lord, I can not believe the park district board actually went ahead with this incredibly bad idea.

At least we can be thankful that only a one year contact was agreed upon.

That gives us some time to think about candidates for the next board election. I now know at least five board members who will not get my vote the next time they are up for election.

And it confirms that we should all think real hard about getting a referendum question on the ballot to disband the entire park district. We probably need to figure out how to organize such an effort in order to get a petition drive started. From what I've been hearing getting the signatures won't be a problem. Getting volunteers to collect signatures is really the only challenge here.

A cop does what a cop knows best.

Put a cop in charge of the park district and the next thing we know we will be spending all kinds of money hiring additional park police, buy more park police vehicles, etc. etc. etc. Next we will see lifeguards handing out fines instead of blowing their whistles, etc. etc. Is this the kind of mentality and atmosphere we want to exist in our parks?

Of all the stupid ideas this park board has come up with in the last few years hiring a cop with no park district experience and no management experience outside of police work to run our park district has got to top them all.

I simply do not believe that there isn't a park director anywhere in this county who is not interested in this job. But maybe that is the case. Maybe the current park board has poisoned the reputation of our park district so badly that no one will touch this job with a ten foot pole.

What happened to the idea of disbanding the park district and folding it into the city of naperville operations like it used to be? Is this going to be a referendum question on the next ballot or not?

Seems to me that is the most likely option that will lead to success at this point in time. Sorry it has to be that way, but the ongoing and continued dysfunction of the park board is directly responsible for the downfall. They have created an ugly mess and there really is no other viable option other than a total reorganization. Plus it is the simplest and easiest method to get rid of all of the park board members once and for all and all at the same time. I urge everyone to vote YES on this referendum!

Anonymous,
Unlike yourself and 1000 other Anonymous Bloggers on Ted's Threads, I use a unique handle: Another Anonymous!

To the best of my knowledge I am the only one who uses this handle.

Thus I am a unique and identifiable blogger and can be "on record."

No other anonymous person can be on record as they share their common name.

But remember I am "Another Anonymous" and not "Anonymous."

I AM ON RECORD!

And yes, I don't want a 4 headed police state in Naperville!

Well, I don't know what a Parks Director does exactly. Launch an investigation if a pine cone falls early? Supervise branch trimming? I would think a Parks Director should be PR and community oriented, with education and experience to fit the individual community. Chief McGury has this. I do not know him, I've met him only briefly 2 or 3 times. But I was impressed. And DP is not an issue and isn't worth even bringing up. Mr. McGury inherited this loser, and did his best to rid his dept only to be overridden by the FOP and City Council. Multi pensions c'mon how many of you bloggers have them. And further, we can look at the man with no political experience who ran for Mayor years ago. Yeah, I think the hugely popular George paves the road. I support Ray McGury. Bolingbrooks loss is Napervilles gain.

Another Anonymous...how can you be "on record" when you make an anonymous post?

The Park Director position is way overpaid for the work involved.

I work for a Fortune 100 Company where people with much more responsibility than a Park District (think Businesses with Billions of dollars at stake) make what our Park District Director makes. Perhaps we need to rethink the salary of such a job vs. the responsibility. I really don't care if it is in line or out of line with what other communities pay. Perhaps we're all overpaying for the quality and quantity of the work involved in a rather unimportant (in the scheme of things) job.

Since it appears we have been functioning without a Director for so long, maybe we don't actually need one?

Or, perhaps it should be an elected position where we - the taxpaying public - get to weigh the pros and cons of each candidate and elect who we feel is best for the job vs. leaving it to an inept bunch of dupes with questionable ability to cut through the BS. Betts must have told the board what they want to hear (canned rhetoric with all the right industry buzzwords) instead of asking the tough questions needed to pick a replacement for this post.

Do away with the job altogther. We obviously don't need it.

I AM ON RECORD AS BEING AGAINST A 3-HEADED POLICE STATE. CERTAINLY, I WOULD BE AGAINST A 4-HEADED POLICE STATE!

AND PAYING THESE FORMER POLICE OFFICERS DOUBLE AND TRIPLE PENSIONS IS ABSURD.

IF WE HAVE A 4-HEADED POLICE STATE IN NAPERVILLE WHAT CHANCE DO WE ONE DAY HAVE OF ELIMINATING GOVERNMENT PENSIONS WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABOLOSIHED WITH PRIVATE PENSIONS.

RAY MCGURY IS A NICE GENTELMAN. BUT THAT DOES NOT QUALIFY HIM FOR PARK DISTRICT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. HE HAS N0 EXEPERIENCE IN THAT FIELD.

I AM SURE HE HAS AN URGE TO COME BACK TO NAPERVILLE AFTER LEAVING FOR BOLINGBROOK AND WORKING FOR AN EGOTISTICAL AND ARROGANT MAYOR.

I SUGGEST HE WAIT UNTIL CHIEF DAVID DIAL RETIRE AND APPLY POLICE CHIEF IN NAPERVILLE. THAT IS THE POSITION HE REALLY WANTS. HE IS TRYING TO USE THE PARK DISTRICT AS A STEPPING STONE.

BEFORE HE IS EVER ALLOWED TO BE POLICE CHIEF IN NAPERVILLE WHICH IS HIS REAL GOAL, HIS ROLE IN THE DREW PETERSON CASE HAS TO BE INVESTIGATED THOROUGHLY. STACY WAS MURDERED DURING HIS TENURE AS CHIEF. HE DID NOT TAKE THE APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO GET RID OF A LOOSE CANNON UNTIL AFTER THE FACT. THAT IS NOT WHAT I CONSIDER HIGH QUALITY LEADERSHIP! HE APPEARS TO LACK THE SIXTH SENSE NEEDED TO BE A POLICE CHIEF IN A TOWN THE CALIBER OF NAPERVILLE. IS HE WILLING TO TICKET POLICE OFFICERS WHO RUN STOP LIGHTS, SPEED, AND DRINK WHILE DRIVING. MOST POLICE OFFICERS IN DOWNTOWN NAPERVILLE ROLL THRU THE STOP LIGHTS AND DO NOT MAKE A FULL STOP. IT IS VERY DISTURBING TO SEE THE NPD NOT PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH. THERE ARE MANY YOUNG KIDS IN DOWNTOWN NAPERVILLE. POLICE OFFICERS NEED TO MAKE A FULL STOP AT STOP SIGNS AND NOT ROLL THRU THEM. POLICE CHIEF DAVID DIAL HAS NOT ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE. IS "SOON" TO BE CHIEF RAY MCCURY WILLING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BEFORE A YOUNG KID IS ACCIDENTALLY RUN OVER IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA???

EVEN IF RAY WAS SUCCESSFUL AT THE PARK DISTRICT POSITION, HE WOULD BE LEAVING IT SHORTLY TO APPLY FOR POLICE CHIEF OF NAPERVILLE. AT LEAST IF WE PUT HIM IN DIAL'S POSTION HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO COLLECT A SECOND PENSION FROM OUR CITY AS CITY MANAGER BOB MARSHALL DOES!

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE LATEST ON MR. MARSHALL IS? IT IS ALMOST LIKE THEY MADE HIS TEMPORARY JOB PERMANENT BY DEFAULT! THE POWERS TO BE IN NAPERVILLE MAY HAVE GOTTEN WHAT THEY WANT THRU THE BACK DOOR!EXPECT HIM TO BE THE PRO-TEM MANAGER FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS UNTIL HE RETIRES AT AGE 60 WITH A SECOND PENSION THAT WILL VEST AFTER 8 YEARS ON THE JOB IN CITY HALL.

NO ONE SHOULD ESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE GOOD OLE BOY NETWORK IN NAPERVILLE! LET US STAND UP TO THEM AND AVOID A 4-HEADED POLICE STATE!

Anonymous 9:29PM,

I agree. Totally.

While it is true the Naperville Park District Board and Administration have been allowed to operate in a dysfunctional manner for way too many years; I believe enough voters are finally fed up to the point that we will soon see some real change come election day.

You are spot on in your observations and praise of the program staff. There has been a total abdication of leadership in the park district which has only been made worse with all of the infighting; yet program offerings have not suffered. Not yet at least. Somehow the program staff has managed to stay out of the way of the politics and just work hard to deliver a quality program. Hopefully the program staff can continue to hold the park district together until a new board is seated and some competent management hired.

Everyone in Naperville should all be proud of the quality work effort put forth by the program staff and their continued dedication to their work in these most trying of times.

I completely agree with the post at 8:12. Lots of good insite there. Yes, NPD BOD needs to hire someone with Parks & Rec. background & and stay out of their way!

Why would the BOD be considering a director with Law Enforcement background? Not to mention, many oversights within his police department when it came to Drew Peterson being "above the law". How could that department overlook numerous calls and reports over the years, from 2 wives? Oh yes, because he was an employee there. Guess leadership and management were absent during those years? Hmm, who was the leader then? Now NPD BOD wants to hire McGury, is he going to overlook things in the Park District too?

Even with this ridiculous BOD, I must complement the program managers at NPD. Most have been there many, many years, with no revolving door! They do a fantastic job of implementing programs and services even with no director! Kudos to them, shame on the BOD!

Hire someone with Parks and Recreation experience. McGury chose to retire from the NPD (Police, NOT Parks). Let him enjoy that retirement. He is not qualified to run the Parks Department. Let's get an experienced person and get the board out of the way.

This situation is as screwed up as the Park Board President, dump her and you'll see better results.

Well put, "Anonymous, What the Heck". Seems like triple dipping; get the 20 year pension from the NPD, golden parachute from the BPD, and then tag the Naperville government for more, and move to a golf course in Florida. Not a bad gig for public service.

Hey, this guy is retired from government work. So if he wants to go to work it should be in the private sector. If the job is offerred and accepteed he should not be allowed to draw government pensions.

Government pensions are nothing more the theft.

I have to agree that I think it would be best to hire somone that has worked in the parks & recreation field for the majority of their career over somone that is a good manager. The park district has been in turmoil for too long to give someone inexperienced in parks a try. Certainly in these economic times there are people in this profession that are looking for a job?

What the heck? I can't believe what I am reading. Are we about to live in a total police state? Are current and former Naperville Police officers intent on filling every open key position in every taxing district in or near Naperville?

If that is the case I guess we should wonder how many Naperville Police officers are in the running to be named permanent principal to replace Caudill?

The only possible good I can see from hiring a former Naperville Police officer to head up the Park District is that maybe the possibility exists where he can find grounds to throw at least half of this incompetent board in jail.

Will he also be collecting a retirement check from the Naperville Police, the Bolingbrook Police, and soon the Naperville Park District? Spread the love! What a fine kettle of poison this is about to become.

Hey Naperville Park District board members! Here is a clue! How about putting some park back in our park district? How about hiring someone who has an education and background in parks and recreation? How about hiring someone who is a tested veteran who has worked in the park and recreation field for their entire career?

First best piece of advice is to scrap the last recruitment effort in it's entirety and fire the recruitment firm. It doesn't take much hard analysis to realize that if Mr. Betts was the absolute best candidate this recruitment firm could recommend what does that say for anyone who placed even lower on this list? And now this board is thinking it is a wise and prudent move to pinch pennies and attempt to salvage what it can from the last recruitment effort? Here is another clue! Find a more competent search firm. Search firms are a dime a dozen and they are all fighting for work right now. In this environment a new search will likely cost less than the last recruitment effort anyway.

Second best piece of advice is to lure a recently retired park executive back to work under a 4-5 year contract. If a recently retired park executive can't be recruited then the recruiting focus should be on either someone who is running a smaller park district and is looking to move up or someone who is playing second fiddle in a park district around the same size as Naperville. Once the board hires someone, turn them loose and make a concentrated effort to get the hell out of their way. Try to remember that your position as a board member does not include the role of puppet master in the job description. Give a true park and recreation professional some room to do their work without all the constant meddling and maybe, just maybe, some credibility can be restored to the Naperville Park District.

Yes, it is going to take time to restore credibility to the Naperville Park District. It can be done though. Make no mistake, the eyes of Naperville taxpayers are watching what is happening very closely and we are very displeased with the constant turmoil.

If the Naperville Park District board screws up once again and makes yet another disastrous hiring decision it will be the death knoll for every Naperville Park District board member's political future. The current Naperville Park District board members better believe this... this is not a decision worth screwing up, it is not a decision worth pinching pennies over, and this is their absolute last shot at getting it right.

Ray is the best! The Park District could solve their problems if Chief McGury went to work for them. He is intelligent and personable. Right now the Naperville park district needs both.

It would be very sad for the Village of Bolingbrook if he left. I'm sure that working with Mayor George Pradel rather then Roger Claar would be a major blow to Roger (Let's face it, He dislikes Naperville) But who Claars?