The Metroparks' three-member board of commissioners loves the park system's CEO Brian Zimmerman. The board has bumped his salary 52 percent since he was hired in 2010. With his 2016 salary of $220,000 (plus benefits that include a car and generous retirement contributions), Zimmerman is among the highest-paid public officials in Ohio. He is paid far more than the U.S. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis, whose annual salary is $177,000. The board and Zimmerman's other supporters credit him with greatly expanding the park system by helping close a deal that put Cleveland's lakefront parks and Acacia park in Lyndhurst under Metroparks' control. His supporters also say Zimmerman has maintained high maintenance standards.

Photo by Gus Chan/The Plain Dealer

Metroparks board gives park CEO high praise and salary to match

By Mark Naymik/cleveland.com

Brian Zimmerman, the top administrator of the publicly funded Cleveland Metroparks, just received a big raise. His annual salary (not including generous benefits) jumped from $185,000 to $220,000. That’s a 19 percent increase.

Next slide: Throwing money at Zimmerman since 2010

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Cuyahoga County Probate Judge Anthony J. Russo picks the board members. Rinker was appointed in 2010, Moore was appointed in 2011 and Berry was appointed in 2012.

Photos by Chuck Crow, Gus Chan, Scott Shaw/The Plain Dealer

Throwing money at Zimmerman since 2010

The Metroparks’ three-member board of commissioners decides what Zimmerman is paid. And the commissioners have been throwing money at Zimmerman since he arrived in 2010. Since then, Zimmerman’s starting salary of $145,000 has increased 52 percent. Yes, 52 percent over 5 years.

Next slide: Blowing past old salary cap

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Photo by Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer

Blowing past old salary cap

The most recent raise, made official in January, should raise eyebrows. In 2011, the commissioners (including two of the current three board members) hired a consultant to examine how Metroparks salaries compare to those of similar organizations. Based on the consultant’s recommendations, the commissioners decided that pay for the top job should top out at $204,000.

Next slide: New salary study says it "would be reasonable" to pay Zimmerman more



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Photo by John Kuntz/cleveland.com

New salary study says it "would be reasonable" to pay Zimmerman more

Zimmerman’s salary is obviously now well outside the cap set in 2011. So what happened?

"We concluded that Mr. Zimmerman's salary was below the current market for executives of his caliber, education and experience," the Metroparks said in a statement after Cleveland Scene first noted the pay increase.

But before the board boosted Zimmerman’s pay, it hired another consulting firm to re-examine the pay scale. (Scroll down)

“As part of the due diligence expected of us, we sought the recommendation of a qualified executive compensation consulting firm,” the board said.

Surprise. The firm said Zimmerman was underpaid.

Next slide: A look at the salary study

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Brian Zimmerman's actual starting salary was $145,000 in 2010, not $165,367 as noted in the Pay Governance report. He also received a $30,000 bonus in October of 2010 that he will have to repay on a prorated basis if he leaves before 2020. The board raised Zimmerman's salary at one point to $165,000.

Pay Governance report for Metroparks

A look at the salary study

The Metroparks provided a copy of the pay study conducted by Pay Governance, which was hired in November. The Metroparks agreed to pay up to $9,500 for the study. The final bill is still being tabulated. (Scroll down)

The report compares the salary of the Metroparks' top job to those at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, the Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Northeast Ohio Sewer District, among many other non-park organizations. The consultant also looked at more than a dozen park systems and zoos, including Florida's Miami-Dade County Parks and Ohio’s Franklin County Metro Parks.

Next slide: One-time Zimmerman bonus not included in study

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Pay Governance study for Metroparks

One-time Zimmerman bonus not included in study

I don’t see how the non-park organizations are particularly relevant since Zimmerman doesn't necessarily possess the skill and experience to run those organizations, nor could the leaders of those organizations necessarily run the Metroparks.

The comparisons to the other park systems appear more relevant and show that salaries vary greatly among park systems, regardless of size. (Scroll down)

When comparing the Metroparks salaries and "bonus/supplemental compensation" to those of the others, however, the study did not include the one-time $30,000 bonus Zimmerman received in 2010. (Metroparks spokesman Rick Haase said the bonus was excluded because it is not "annualized compensation.")

Next slide: Zimmerman contract allows him to earn healthy raises

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Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/The Plain Dealer

Zimmerman contract allows him to earn healthy raises

The report recommended the board pay the Metroparks’ CEO an annual salary of between $200,000 to $235,000.

The board settled on $220,000. But Zimmerman’s latest contract allows him to earn up to a nearly 4 percent annual raise, which means his pay could top the new $235,000 salary cap in just two years. Inflation, by the way, has been extremely low and is expected to stay that way. (Scroll down)

The board discussed Zimmerman’s performance and salary in executive session (which is the norm). I asked for a copy of Zimmerman’s performance evaluation. Spokesman Haase said one does not exist because the review was conducted verbally. Metroparks spokeswoman Sanaa Julien pointed me to the board’s statement, which lists his accomplishments. (This slide was added after the story first posted because it was inadvertently dropped during production.)

Next slide: Zimmerman’s accomplishments

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Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman talks to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson in 2014 about expanding lakefront trails.

Photo by Lynn Ischay/The Plain Dealer

Zimmerman's accomplishments

Among the accomplishments cited in the statement are: "leading the organization's greatest decade of land acquisition for conservation since 1960", "leading the revitalization of the urban core through various park developments, which has ultimately increased property values", "improving the management of the agency resulting in a remarkable impact, such as streamlined operations, financial efficiencies and improved visitor experiences and satisfaction."

Next slide: National Park chief earns far less than our guy

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In 2013, voters supported a renewal tax levy -- and increase -- that generates close to $73 million a year for the 22,800-acre park system, up from nearly $53 million. The owner of a $100,000 home has to pony up an additional $31 per year on top of the $65 they pay now. The annual budget of the park system is $98 million.

National Park Service

National Park chief earns far less than our guy

The board says the raise reflects the "confidence" Zimmerman has earned.

I'm glad the board has confidence in Zimmerman, who has indeed expanded the park system and made improvements. But the board has completely lost perspective about salaries. Qualified public servants lead great park systems around the country for far less. (Scroll down)

Here's just one example: Jonathan B. Jarvis, head of the U.S. National Park Service. He is paid $177,000 a year.

And Jarvis' salary has been frozen since 2010.

I guess the Metroparks' salary survey missed that.