The Metroparks Board of Commissioners authorized CEO Brian Zimmerman’s salary increase at their final meeting of 2013 this morning. Starting today, Zimmerman will collect $178,000 a year, up from the $165,000 he makes currently. That’s an increase of roughly 7.5 percent.
Immediately prior to that action item, Metroparks chief HR officer Harold Harrison presented a plan for merit-based raises. In that format, the Metroparks’ most exemplary employees (top 15 percent) would see a 4.25 percent pay increase. That’s well below the annual increases that Zimmerman has received since he arrived in 2010 making $145,000.
Scene covered the Metroparks finances related to the November levy, the lakefront parks and CEO Brian Zimmerman in a cover story this week. Mark Naymik, at the NEOMG, also wrote a column calling Zimmerman’s salary into question.
The central tension at this morning’s meeting, though, had less to do with compensation and more to do with development near Metroparks land.
Developer Andrew Brickman was in attendance. He seemed displeased that the commissioners voted to table the discussion about his condo plan in Fairview Park which will abut Rocky River Reservation. Commissioner Bruce Rinker said he’d prefer to wait until further geo-technical analysis has been hashed out among Metroparks experts.
Rinker, an attorney familiar with the terminology and potential thorns of zoning and real estate, asked good questions and espoused patience and caution throughout.
According to a public comment, Brickman had been so angered the last time he appeared at a Metroparks meeting — evidently a vote didn’t swing his way — he had to be escorted out by a uniformed security guard.
This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2013.
The last couple of paragraphs are interesting. If the developer is a childish hothead, he should be sent packing.
True….We don’t need attitude like this simply because he didn’t get his way….
I don’t remember reading on the ballot for the Metroparks Levy Increase any paragraph that said anything about needing more money to give this asshole a raise.
There is no need to call a person an a:$hole. Without getting both sides of the story. If you consider scene magazine a real news source then your an idiot.
Um, yeah, there is plenty of need to call this guy an asshole. He’s taking an extra $11,000 per year on average that could be going to kids programs or making the metroparks better. Oh yeah, and that money comes from the taxpayers too, so there’s that also. But I’m sure the extra $33,000 over 3 years really helps him out, I’m sure his finances were really tight. $145,000 (now 178,000) only goes so far, right? LOLZ! Yeah, he’s an asshole, and you’re a dolt for thinking this kind of behavior is acceptable. And please, please, PLEASE let me hear this wonderful other side of the story that justifies why he should be getting these crazy salary increases. I would honestly love to hear someone’s justification for that.
There is no justification for our taxes to go up to give him a sizable raise, when the Metroparks needs new roads throughout! And, so much more!!!