What's behind fight between Mayor Cranley and Cincinnati Parks' chair? Money and control

Last week, news spilled out that a lawyer said, under oath, that Mayor John Cranley threatened to "destroy" the leader of the Cincinnati Park Board in the media.

The mayor's words caught people's attention, although Cranley denies he made the threat.

But the real issue at hand is not about whether the mayor made the statement.

The case before a Hamilton County judge Tuesday will determine whether park board chair Dianne Rosenberg keeps her seat on the board or if Cranley can replace her. Depending on who wins, a major shift could occur at the parks department.

What's this fight about? Money and control

What this all boils down to is money in endowed funds and how it is spent. The Cincinnati Parks Department, like all city departments, runs on a budget given to it by City Hall. In 2017, city leaders gave the parks $8.7 million for operations. But the parks department is different because it is managed by an independent board of park commissioners. The parks department also has about a dozen endowments, each donated by a citizen to the park system in his or her will. Some of the endowments can be spent only on specific things; others are more generally for the benefit of the park system. No other city department has similar pots of donated money. The mayor believes that these endowment dollars should be managed with more openness and oversight.

So what's the legal issue in court Tuesday?

Rosenberg is fighting to keep her seat on the board after Cranley appointed another person to her seat in December. She sued the mayor, along with the city manager, clerk of council, members of council who approved her replacement and Cranley's appointee Jim Goetz. Cranley says her term is up because she was filling the unexpired term of a previous commissioner. She says her term doesn't end until 2021. The parties are in court before Common Pleas Court Judge Charles Kubicki Tuesday morning. It's unclear whether Kubicki will make a decision on Tuesday or at a later date. Then, Thursday is the monthly Park Board meeting. Depending on a decision Tuesday, Rosenberg could prevail and lead the meeting or the board may welcome its new member. If Goetz gets on the board, a majority of commissions may side with the mayor on what to do with the endowments. If Kubicki makes no decision, will both Rosenberg and Goetz show up Thursday? Stay tuned.

What separates the two sides?

Right now, the money spent out of endowments is managed in a private PNC Bank account. Only the leaders at the parks department have access to it. According to Rosenberg's lawyers, some of these funds only give authority over the gifts to the Park Board and Rosenberg is honoring the donors wishes first and foremost. Cranley and the parks have sought an agreement on how to handle the endowments for two years, to no avail.

Why is this happening now?

The roots are a failed tax proposal for the parks in 2015 that Cranley pitched. But when The Enquirer wrote about how complex the finances are and called into question spending practices such as car allowances and other fringe benefits (many of which were paid for with endowment funds), the mayor called for an independent audit. The audit eventually found several ways the parks department could be better at managing its money. It was followed by a review by Auditor of State Dave Yost, who found that the way the parks operate "increases the risk that errors, theft and fraud could occur." Yost pressed the city to make sure the Park Board is following prevailing wage and bidding laws applicable to government spending and contracts; some city council members have done the same. Since then, City Hall and the Park Board, along with the nonprofit Cincinnati Parks Foundation, have been trying to negotiate a legal agreement outlining how the endowment money is spent and tracked.

Don't the parks have a new director?

Yes, his name is Wade Walcutt. And he's been busy. Based on the guidance of his Park Board bosses, Walcutt hired a team of independent consultants to improve the parks' financial management practices, including putting in place a double-entry accounting system. Prior to that, the board tracked financial records in a way that was impossible to audit. Rosenberg has been adamant about putting a better system in place. But she has not been convinced that the city should have any level of control over the endowment funds. Walcutt took over after Willie Carden retired after 17 years. The sometimes controversial Carden grew the park system substantially over that time, overseeing construction of Smale. He was a masterful fundraiser but was criticized for sometimes overstepping his bounds and cutting corners, both by the Ohio Ethics Commission and leaders at City Hall.

Why should you care?

These are your parks; places where our children play; where we meet friends; walk our dogs and reconnect with nature. Yet, frankly, some of the parks are showing signs of financial neglect. Sure, the new Smale Riverfront Park is sparkling and new, and visitors marvel at the overhaul of Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine. But a few miles away, in Paddock Hills, the Avon Woods Nature Preserve is overrun with honeysuckle, English ivy and other invasive plants. Trails in the city park system tend to be in rough shape, too, with broken stairs and bridges. About half of the trails in city's largest park, Mount Airy Forest, are closed for safety reasons. Fixes are needed on busted sidewalks and crumbling historic structures, such as the Inwood Park pavilion.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story cited the wrong Cincinnati neighborhood for Avon Woods.