GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL OF PARKS 427 



in the case of the election of members by popular vote, outstanding citizens 

 are usually more willing to stand for election because of an opportunity for 

 unselfish service than is commonly true of officers more fully under political 

 control, (d) Because of the possibility of a more secure tenure of office, 

 well-trained executives are more ready to accept employment under park 

 boards. As a rule such boards are keenly appreciative of the value of 

 efficient technical service and more eager to secure trained executives than 

 is true under some other system, (e) There is no division of interest under 

 the park board plan of control and members are chosen for a definite service 

 to the community. Occasionally the care of cemeteries and of street trees 

 is placed under park boards, but the nature of the service required is more 

 or less in harmony with certain features of park work. (/) Park interests 

 are more likely in the long run to be better served through the community 

 of minds of a park board than under government by a single commissioner 

 or a city manager, especially since the attention of the commissioner or 

 city manager is distracted by other duties. The weight of influence of a 

 park board in completing their projected plans is likely to be more powerful 

 than that of a single individual, (g) The planning, development, operation 

 and maintenance of the modern park system is of such a character as to 

 require a wide degree of cooperation between the park department and 

 various public and private agencies such as the recreation commission, if 

 one exists, the schools and local civic groups. This cooperation is especially 

 essential in the use of properties adapted for organized recreation purposes 

 which are under the control of different boards. By judicious selection of 

 the members of the park board, it is possible to have on the board repre- 

 sentatives of the more important agencies for the purpose of facilitating the 

 community use of all material and recreational resources. Even if this plan 

 is not followed and it is not absolutely necessary -- school boards and 

 other public governmental agencies with properties of recreational value 

 under their control are more likely to have greater confidence in a board 

 of outstanding citizens than in a single individual. 



In spite of the many advantages of the park board plan of control, 

 there are features to be guarded against. It may sometimes happen that 

 permanency in tenure of office, which is one of the great virtues of a prop- 

 erly constituted park board, may become a great weakness. It is quite 

 possible for the members, or a majority of the members, to become so 

 vitally interested in some particular phase of park planning and develop- 

 ment that other important features necessary to a well-appointed system 

 may be neglected. Moreover, members who because of previous valuable 

 service have been retained year after year may outlive their usefulness. 

 Similarly a superintendent may be continued too long in the service. There 



