Politics & Government

Park District Names Interim Executive Director

Deputy director stepping in to fill spot left open by Bill McAdam

Richard Zielke, deputy director of the will take over as interim executive director after the departure of Bill McAdam, according to a memo sent by McAdam this week to Park Board commissioners.

Bob Mattingly, Park Board president, said Zielke will stay in the position indefinitely, and there are currently no plans to begin a search to find a permanent replacement for McAdam, who is .

“We feel real good with how Rich has done as deputy director,” Mattingly said. “(The commissioners) met in executive session and unanimously came to the conclusion Rich was a great candidate.”

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An evaluation of Zielke’s job shift will be performed quarterly, and if the Park Board feels a new director is needed, a search will begin, Mattingly said.

“Rich has paid his dues, and it’s always been the succession plan if (McAdam) were ever to leave,” he said.

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Commissioner Len Wass, who has often sparred with his fellow commissioners, said he looks forward to seeing what kind of job Zielke can do.

"It's an opportunity for Rich to show his stuff and gain the confidence of the board that he's the right guy," he said. 

Searching for a replacement of Zielke also is not in the works. In an effort to watch the budget, Zielke will cover both positions in the short term.

"The position of deputy director was created during a time of tremendous growth for the park district, and there was a lot of work to be done," Wass said. "Now that growth has all but stopped, this is an opportunity to look at some cost savings."


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