Superintendent of Parks and Recreation

The 1890 City Charter placed the management of the City parks in the hands of a Park Commission and invested the Commission with the authority to appoint a Superintendent of Parks.

The 1896 City Charter replaced the Park Commission with a Park Committee that reported directly to the City Council. Management of the parks was vested in the City Council; the position of Superintendent of Parks was abolished; and the day-to-day administration of parks business was assumed by the Superintendent of Streets, Sewers, and Parks.

An amendment to the City Charter in 1904 established the Board of Park Commissioners which was given authority to hire all such employees, including superintendents, it deemed necessary to maintain the park system. The following men led the daily operations of the parks staff under varying job titles including Superintendent, Landscape Architect, and Parks Engineer.

A 1967 City Charter amendment established the Department of Parks and Recreation, reduced the Board of Park Commissioners to an advisory body, and placed the management of the department with the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation. The Superintendent was appointed by the mayor for a four-year term.

A City Charter amendment in 1977 abolished the four-year term restriction for the Superintendent.