PLAINFIELD – Plainfield Township Park District Executive Director Garrett Peck resigned Thursday, saying he has become a "lightning rod in the community."
Peck sent a letter of resignation to the board of commissioners about 4 p.m on a day in which he was already answering questions about a state order to reinstate a worker who had been fired — the latest in a series of a controversies since Peck took the job in May.
In his resignation letter, Peck said he took the position "in a controversial manner, which made it extremely difficult to function with the entire board and the community."
Peck said he will not seek severance or payout from his contract.
"I had a lot of great ideas that will not be able to move forward as a result," Peck wrote in his letter, listing accomplishments that included savings on health insurance for employees, a shuttle bus with a wheelchair lift, plans for an indoor soccer facility, a veterans program, and more than $1.5 million in additional revenue to expand services.
Gene Coldwater, recently named the assistant executive director by Peck, will become the interim director while the board chooses a replacement.
In his letter, Peck recognized some of the park district staff, including Coldwater, Cheryl Crisman, Maureen Nugent and Wendi Calabrese, saying it was an honor to work with them. He also apologized to the local Republican Party.
He declined to comment further on his resignation.
"I'm somewhat relieved because he was a problem for the district," Commissioner Larry Newton said. "But the board members that hired him are still there."
Newton said the board still has a lot of work to do to find a long-term solution to the executive director position.
Emails and calls to other commissioners were not immediately returned Thursday.
Peck, a Plainfield village trustee, was brought in to the park district as secretary on May 8 by a new board majority composed of President Peter Hurtado, Vice President Janet Silosky and Commissioner Peter Steinys.
Three days later, the board hired him as executive director over Cameron Bettin, the superintendent of planning, who had been pegged by the old board to be the new director.
Returning commissioners Newton and Mary Kay Ludemann voted against Peck's hiring.
The most recent controversy were the resignations of Bettin and employee James Less, who left their jobs with severance pay and a signed agreement prohibiting them from saying anything negative about park district leadership.
Peck said the move was part of a plan to oursource the planning work that had been done by Bettin and Less. Critics said the resignations were forced.
Peck on Monday promoted Coldwater to assistant executive director, assigning him the same duties Bettin had except for planning services.
Then Peck had a run-in Tuesday with the Plainfield Patch online media outlet. In response to a request for information, Peck said he would cease communication with Patch because of its story selection and comment policies.
Hurtado, according to Patch, sent an apology on Wednesday, saying Peck's "remarks were uncalled for and in no way keeping with the standard of respectful communication that we all need to live by."
Village trustee Jim Racich was one of the outspoken critics of the new board and Peck's administration.
"I think it's definitely for the better," Racich said of the resignation. "I told him to resign months ago but it fell on deaf ears."
Racich was kicked out of a board meeting in May for criticizing Peck.
"Hopefully they'll be able to get an executive director that will move the district in a positive direction," Racich said. "They should follow the example of what the village of Plainfield did when they hired outside consultants."
Racich also said it was important to involve the community because the public would feel a part of a process that seemed closed during Peck's hire.
Timeline of executive director changes
• March 14, 2013: Cameron Bettin signs a contract to become the assistant executive director and be promoted to executive director July 1.
• April 9: New board majority is elected.
• May 8: New board takes office and installs Garrett Peck, also a Plainfield village trustee, as secretary.
• May 11: Board votes to fire Bott and make Peck executive director.
• June 27: Peck and Bettin sign an amendment to Bettin's contract, removing the clause to make him executive director and keep him employed as assistant executive director until Dec. 31.
• Nov. 18: Peck signs a preliminary planning and design services retainer agreement with Naperville-based Hitchcock Design Group, signaling the end of the district's planning department.
• Dec. 20: Bettin and Park District employee James Less sign resignation letters with compensation and confidentiality clauses.
• Jan. 9, 2014: The Illinois Labor Relations Board rules that Peck violated state labor laws in the termination of former employee Joel Shumaker.
• Jan. 20: Park district announces Gene Coldwater is promoted to assistant executive director.
• Jan. 21: Peck informs Plainfield Patch the park district is ceasing all communication with the online media outlet.
• Jan. 22: Board President Peter Hurtado apologizes to the Plainfield Patch, saying Peck's "remarks were uncalled for."
• Jan. 23: Peck resigns.