By Doug Pizzi | February 6, 2019
In October we discussed the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Stewardship Council with an eye toward the process of filling vacancies on a 13-member advisory board that does not feature staggered terms. We emphasized the need to keep a contingent of experienced leadership, and that leadership’s institutional memory, on the Council to keep DCR moving forward along the path of recent successes.
There’s some good news and not so good news on that front. But first, it’s important to point out that baked into the process is the fact that the original 2003 enabling legislation did not see fit to stagger the councilors’ seven-year terms. While the lag time between term expirations and new appointments has given some de-facto term staggering, it is theoretically possible to remove most existing councilors and replace them with new appointees in very short order.
In recent months, the Baker Administration has appointed four new councilors to fill vacancies. Some of these vacancies are the result of resignations. Others, the Administration created by notifying councilors they would not be reappointed. By all accounts, the people appointed to these positions continue the past practice of naming skilled, caring and capable people to the Council.
Most recently, the Administration informed a long-time Hampshire County Councilor, Elisa Campbell, of Amherst, she would not be re-appointed. She was replaced by Ann Canedy, of Barnstable. We certainly take no issue with Ms. Canedy’s appointment. She is well qualified for the post, and as a Cape Cod resident, she represents an area of the state with considerable DCR properties, including Nickerson State Park, the Cape Cod Rail Trail, and many other high use, high profile holdings.
However, the Council this month accepted the resignation of one of its newest councilors, Katherine Sharry, of Paxton. Ms. Sharry replaced Walter Bickford, also of Worcester County, the former Fish & Game Commissioner whom the Administration deemed not to re-appoint. Only a few months into her tenure, Ms. Sharry, with regret, informed the Council that work requirements will preclude her from serving.
This leaves the Stewardship Council with no representation west of Route 128. Aside from the optics of leaving the Council with no Central or Western Massachusetts representation, the enabling legislation specifically calls for the Council to have a member from Berkshire County, which is home to Mt. Greylock, the nation’s first reservation, and multiple DCR parks and forests consisting of a fifth of DCR’s acreage. In addition, since there were already two vacancies on the Council, the long-serving and well-regarded Ms. Campbell could have remained on the Council in the name of continuity.
Conceding that the present situation is due in part to happenstance, we nevertheless want to advocate for two things at this juncture. It is imperative that the three existing vacancies be filled from places west of Route 128, with one being from Berkshire County. Also, it is essential to consider reappointing the three remaining councilors whose terms are up and who have asked to be re-appointed. They are Council Chairman Whitney Hatch, one of the longest-serving councilors, whose dedication to the betterment of our parks is unquestioned, along with members Heather Clish, the Council’s budget point person, and Michelle Hanss, formerly of the Garden Clubs of America. The Stewardship Council is vital and legislatively mandated. Its mission, on our behalf, is to advocate for our state park system and the dedicated people who until last year’s modest budget increase have been doing a lot more with considerably less on the operational and maintenance side of the budget. To keep moving forward and do justice to significant capital investments in DCR properties, the agency needs an operating budget based on the reality of running a nearly half-million-acre system of publicly owned land that contributes significantly to the state’s $16 billion annual outdoor economy. The Stewardship Council is a critical voice for us in these matters. In turn, its chances of success rely on a balanced mix of newcomer enthusiasm and experienced proven leadership.
Doug Pizzi is the Executive Director of Massachusetts Conservation Voters