Mike Abbaté, the director of Portland Parks & Recreation, announced his resignation Monday, telling city officials in an email that he is leaving his position "to pursue other opportunities," according to a copy of the email obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Abbaté, 60, wrote that being Parks & Recreation director is "the greatest honor of my professional career" and that holding the job "was truly a dream come true." His last day is May 15.

Abbaté wrote that his time at Parks had been marked by "remarkable progress, often in the face of difficult budget reductions and heavy social burdens." He praised "our amazing parks system" while listing a dozen accomplishments realized during his tenure. Among them: passage in 2014 of a $68 million parks bond, Portland's parks system being named the nation's best and building or upgrading many parks.

Abbaté's resignation comes as his bureau is facing the prospect of a steep budget cut. Though Mayor Ted Wheeler has proposed a parks budget of nearly $200 million, that is nearly $10 million less than the previous year's budget. The cut budget includes plans to close two community centers and eliminate several jobs, among other budget reductions.

Abbaté has been director of Parks & Recreation since 2011, when he was appointed by Commissioner Nick Fish, then the commissioner-in-charge of parks. Abbaté had previously been a high-level manager at the bureau, a planning manager at the city of Gresham and a consultant. Parks & Recreation spokesman Mark Ross said Monday that Abbaté does not plan to grant interviews about his resignation.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz, the current parks commissioner, told officials in an email obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive that the city will conduct a national search for Abbaté's replacement. Fritz said Kia Selley, who worked as a Parks & Recreation division head until she resigned in 2016, has been named the bureau's interim director.

Fritz spoke highly of Abbaté in her email, saying he "achieved significant accomplishments" while leading Parks & Recreation and "forged exemplary relationships" with the labor union that represents parks employees. Noting her "tremendous gratitude" to Abbaté, Fritz said, "I wish him the best."

-- Gordon R. Friedman

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