Park Board lays out process to fill vacancy after abrupt resignation

The Winnetka Park Board has a new vice president and on Thursday outlined how it plans to fill an open seat left vacant by the resignation of first-term commissioner James Hemmings.

Hemmings resigned on Dec. 11, days after the Winnetka Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously voted to give a negative recommendation to the park district’s special use permit request for renovations to Centennial Park and Beach.

In his resignation letter, Hemmings cited frustration with the park district’s interactions with the Village and its policies as the primary reason he quit his post less than halfway through his term.

At the Park Board’s regular meeting on Thursday, Dec. 19, commissioners took action to both fill Hemmings’ position as vice president and set a timeline for how they plan to fill his seat.

Board applications due in January

To fill Hemmings’ seat, park commissioners will select a candidate from a pool of interested applicants.

Those who are interested in serving are asked to download the application from the Winnetka Park District’s website, or pick up a copy from the executive director’s office, and submit it to the park district office by the close of business on Monday, Jan. 13.

Board President Christina Codo said the applications will be reviewed in closed session at the board’s Jan. 16 regular meeting.

How long it takes to fill the vacancy reportedly will depend on how many applications the board receives.

“If we get one application, our work in closed session will be fairly swift,” she said. “If we get two applications, there will be a simple vote. If we get 450 applications, it will be a much more lengthy process, and we can decide on that at that time, because I do think the number of applications will drive the process.”

The final candidate will be voted on in open session, according to a previous press release from the park district.

Tyson elected vice president

Commissioner Jeff Tyson was unanimously elected to serve as the Park Board’s vice president.

Tyson, like Hemmings, was elected in 2023. Both were caucus-slated for four-year terms.

He briefly spoke at the end of the meeting Thursday about the coming year.

“I look forward in 2025 to holding productive meetings (and) conversations with the Village, because I think we have a common goal of making the community happy and getting Elder (Beach) open as soon as possible,” he said. “Here’s to positive thoughts of making that happen.”

Commissioner Warren James, a former Park Board president and vice president, was also nominated. But a vote on his nomination was unnecessary due to Tyson receiving unanimous support.

Tyson’s term as vice president will end in May 2025 when the Park Board holds its annual meeting to elect new officers for the year.

Commissioners praise Hemmings

Towards the end of the meeting, commissioners praised Hemmings for his service.

“I think he contributed a lot,” Commissioner Cynthia Rapp said. “I’m certainly sad to see him go.”

Codo said she will miss him “enormously.”

“He was a critical thinker, he was a serious intellectual, he was a good thought partner,” she said. “It was a pleasure to listen to him parse some of these issues. And he was also willing to take on a lot of work. I will miss him. I’m sorry to see him go.”

Some also mentioned Hemmings’ thoughts in his resignation letter as they praised him, including Commissioner Eric Lussen.

“I think it’s a sad day for the Village of Winnetka, the patrons of the Winnetka Park District, when good, intelligent, committed, well-intended individuals like James Hemmings resign from the Winnetka Park Board,” he said.

Commissioner Colleen Root offered both praise and criticism for Hemmings’ parting words.

“I thought that he brought a lot to this district, and (his departure) is unfortunate,” she said. “However, I also do not think that you gain any sort of momentum in moving a project forward if you insult fellow volunteers on a board,” referring to Hemmings’ comments toward ZBA members and the Village.

James offered his thoughts on Hemmings’ resignation as well.

“In the time I spent working with Commissioner Hemmings, I found him to be thoughtful, deliberative and wise,” he said. “We didn’t always agree, but I respected his critical thinking skills and his calm demeanor. What disturbs me is that former Commissioner Hemmings threw in the towel, apparently concluding that there’s no purpose to our work at the WPD and the Village Board will simply oppose its opinion.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.