What’s Happening With City Parks? Another Shorewood Employee Resigns

Staff turnover continues at the City of Shorewood. Park & Recreation Director Janelle Crossfield resigned effective January 5. She had been with the City for slightly over one year.

During the Jan. 8, 2024 Shorewood City Council work session, Shorewood City Clerk/HR Director, Sandie Thone, responded to Council questions (See here starting at 1:30) about Crossfield’s reasons for leaving. When asked, Thone said that the City did not conduct an exit interview, nor did she have informal comments with Crossfield. Administrator Marc Nevinski interjected that he had “many conversations” with Crossfield. A resignation letter was not included in the public packet.

Although government employees’ salaries are public per M.S.13.43, Subd. 2, Crossfield’s salary was not published in the meeting materials. Her salary is estimated to be around $95k based on past Council minutes. Still, no actual salary approval  can be found in the Council minutes following a salary study conducted for the City in 2023.

Park Director Crossfield was responsible for the Shorewood Community & Event Center (SCEC), the park facilities, staff support for the Park Commission, and recreational programming. Considerable discussion centered on the title of the position going forward, and its implications for applicants. Thone said that she hired 23 people in the last year (start at 1:49:30): Many for the SCEC. She said there are many moving parts to the SCEC and the position requires a “managerial spirit” for the role. She said it is a higher level than Coordinator, but whether titled as “manager” or “director,” the Council will need to decide.

The Council discussed the job description, where it became apparent that the City could view this resignation as an opportunity to make changes and improvements to the role in response to critical feedback received over the last 12 months. Read the job description here (start on p. 2).

• The Council directed city staff to re-work the job description and research whether the title of “director” vs. “manager” impacted the quality of applicants.
• The Council agreed that the job description must include “hands-on” language, which includes being active in the park facilities and programs, park commission and resident meetings, and addressing current issues in a timely manner.
• The Council also asked for the responsibilities to include more financial clarity on the SCEC and programming.
  
  

When asked if the Park Commission would be involved in reworking the description or recruitment process, Administrator Nevinski responded that it would not. CM Sanschagrin suggested asking for resident input on uses and expectations for the parks and the position, but remaining Council members did not support it.

Likewise, at the Park Commission meeting on January 9, Commissioners Amy Wenner and Michelle DiGruttolo asked if the City wanted their input on the role, but Nevinski and the Park Commission Chair Jim Hirner responded negatively. Commission members were instead invited to send comments by email or by calling “staff.” 

Nevinski announced that he expected it to take at least three months to find a qualified and suitable candidate to fill the role.