GUEST COLUMN: Another Self-Promoting Publicity Stunt
Many of us citizens attending the Geauga Park District commissioners meeting this last week were astounded to hear Director John Oros read a letter from Tim Grendell that praised long-time Park Commissioner Bob McCullough and urged a park/natural area to be named in his honor.
The judge’s comments seemed particularly strange since virtually everything the judge has done in regard to park district business has been contrary to my understanding of how Bob McCullough felt about the purpose of the park district and how the parks should progress into the future.
Sadly, Bob McCullough, who is no longer with us, cannot speak for himself, but I speak as one who has known Bob for nearly 40 years and knows how he felt about the threats imposed on the park district during the Grendell assault.
When discussing park commissioner replacements with Tim Grendell in the past, the judge told me he would not have replaced Bob McCullough as commissioner. Yet, two commissioners that I’m sure Bob felt were two of the best ever — and doing an excellent job — were, in essence, fired by the judge. Other especially competent commissions were not reappointed, although they wished to be.
In their place, he appointed individuals who thought parks should be privatized, starved of funds, used for their own private interests or were just minions with no past interest or knowledge in parks and natural areas — people who would just do the judge’s bidding.
Let’s look as some of Bob’s values and interests, and compare them with Grendell actions.
Bob had a long-time interest in natural history and birds, in particular, and for many years coordinated a Geauga County Christmas bird count and breeding bird census going north from Geauga County to Lake Erie. I know, as I assisted him with these activities a number of times.
Tim Grendell seems to enjoy making fun of people with an interest in birds by flapping his arms like a bird at tea party meetings.
Bob McCullough felt purchasing and protecting natural areas now before they disappear forever was of highest priority for the parks.
Tim Grendell led the way with suggesting park levies be reduced, thus starving future land acquisition. Under his domination, no park land purchases have been completed. A number of land acquisition opportunities at little or no cost to the park were passed up.
Citizens would never have seen Bob McCullough use the park newsletter for self-promotion or politicization. Yet, during the Grendell-era, such use has been pervasive.
Bob McCullough surely felt any hunting or trapping in our parks should be for wildlife management purposes and alternative management should be used if at all possible.
Under the Grendell takeover, hunting and trapping has been viewed as a recreational activity, expanded as such, and allowed illegally in the Burton Wetland State Nature Preserve.
If the good judge really valued Bob McCullough’s half century of work in building our park district, he should have no trouble following his example and following his example would be a far higher honor than naming a park after him.
Did he ever ask Bob himself about suggestions for park commissioner appointments? Hardly, I would guess.
The good judge could ask many fine past commissions, directors, park employees and others about the direction Bob would have taken our parks. Will he do so and actually listen to what they will say? Hardly, I would guess.
The good judge could talk with McCullough family members and ask them what they thought of the park direction since the new park regime takeover. Will he do so and will he ask them what Bob thought of the changes? Hardly, I would guess.
The latest stunt by his honor appears to be his plan to circulate petitions at The Great Geauga County Fair to name a park/natural area after Bob McCullough. What a joke! As if the park commissioners/ director would fail to do so now that the judge has suggested they do so. They know firing would be in the offing.
My guess is that his petition is another publicity stunt for his own self-promotion, knowing in what high regard Bob McCullough was in the public eye.
If you see his honor at the fair, tell him what you think of his stunt and his takeover of the parks.
John G. Augustine
Parkman Township
