VIDEO OF ENTIRE SELECTION PROCESS
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No wonder current Canton Parks & Recreation director Derek Gordon did not accept a resolution by the board of commissioners to offer Gordon the directorship going forward for at least six more months.AT
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At the end of six months, Gordon have to undergo an evaluation on his performance to retain his position.
Quite a humiliation for a guy who has been director for a number of years now, no?
Gordon told Commissioners Andy Black (chairman), Sam Sliman and Mike Hanke that he would let them know tomorrow whether or not he was going to accept the offer at a $75,000 annualized salary.
Gordon does not have the unanimous selection support inasmuch as Commissioner Sam Sliman voted "no" saying that Gordon does not have the vision to take the Canton's parks and recreation facilities in a direction that Sliman thinks best.
The selection was made after about a 15 minute executive session held by the commissioners some 30 minutes into today's regular Canton Parks and Recreation Board meeting.
Also, a resident (Ruth Golub) from the area of St. Marks Espiscopal Church located in Canton's Ward 8 appeared and spoke against Gordon's selection.
Her unhappiness had to with allegations she made that Gordon along with Councilman Edmond Mack tried to force an unwanted park adjacent to St. Marks on the surrounding neighborhood and sprang it on area residents without preparing them sufficiently in advance.
Gordon's selection was no surprise to the SCPR because The Report had learned that Gordon had the support of most of Canton's sitting councilpersons.
But J.R. Rinaldi who is close to Canton mayor Thomas M. Bernabei put the question of Gordon's continuance in question.
The Report did not consider the remaining finalists (three other than Gordon and Rinaldi) to have much of a chance to land the position.
The only likelihood that one of the other three could in the estimate of the SCPR gain the selection was for two of the commissioners to be at loggerheads—one for Gordon, one for Rinaldi—and one of the other three candidates win out as a compromise candidate.
Sliman did not mention whom he favored over Gordon.
Sliman did however pledge to work with and support Gordon should he choose to accept the directorship.
And he is hopeful that Gordon will see fit to accept the offer.
Mack opined that he thinks Mayor Bernabei did not weigh in on the selection and that he has come to have a very high degree of respect for the man he opposed in former Democrat Bernabei's successful quest to run against incumbent Democratic mayor William J. Healy, II as a political independent.
His opposition was never about the person Thomas Beranbei but out of a concern for stability of political party processes.
Ward 4 Councilwoman Chris Smith was at the meeting and spoke on behalf of the Gordon candidacy.
Ward 7 Councilman John Mariol was present as was former Ward 3 Councilman Jim Griffin neither of whom spoke on the directorship question.
And now the video of the selection process.
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