Evanston Parks Director Withdraws After Appointment In Michigan

EVANSTON, IL — Parks and Recreation Director Lawrence Hemingway pulled out of the running for a job in Michigan amid scrutiny of his record in Evanston. Hemingway was appointed Aug. 4 to become the parks director in Oakland County, pending a background check and final approval by county commissioners, The Oakland Press reported.

At a special meeting Wednesday, the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission was due to consider approval of the background check, Chairman Gary McGillivray notified fellow commissioners that Hemingway had rescinded his application the prior day, according to the Oakland Press.

Hemingway did not respond to a request for comment Friday regarding his reasons for withdrawing his application.

Evanston Patch first reported in November 2019 that a former parks department staffer had accused Hemingway of sexual harassment and human resources staff of covering it up. He was issued a written reprimand and counseled.

Hemingway and other city staffers' handling of sexual harassment and assault allegations made by current and former parks department lakefront employees is currently under investigation by an outside law firm.

The parks director told The Oakland Press that he believed his department "made the best decisions with the information that they had" after receiving a petition from dozens of women describing a culture of sexism and rampant harassment.

GovHR USA, the Northbrook-based executive search firm co-founded by a former Evanston HR director, led the search that identified Hemingway, according to the paper.

Before taking the job in Evanston in 2016, Hemingway had worked as director of parks and recreational for Wayne County Parks in Westland, Michigan, and served as general manager for the recreation department in the city of Detroit.

Related:

• Lakefront Sex Harassment Scandal Probe Assigned To Outside Firm
• Harassment Petition Not Shared By Staff, Evanston Mayor Says
• Lakefront Allegations Trigger 'Impartial Investigation'
• Sexual Harassment Rampant At Evanston Lakefront, Staff Warned