PHDP Gives Severance To Director After Drafting Letter Firing Her

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — After the Park District of Highland Park drafted a letter that would have fired her, the district's former finance director negotiated a severance package that saw her receive a lump sum payment of more than $10,000 in exchange for agreeing not to sue, Patch has learned.

The deal was spelled out in a separation agreement dated May 13 — the same day as a letter addressed to departed finance director Annette Curtis, titled, "Re: Termination of Employment."

Signed by the district's former interim executive director Kathy Donahue, the letter said Curtis was being terminated, effective immediately, for violating the district's standards of performance and conduct by failing to improve her "communication style in a consistent and sustained manner."

Curtis, who declined to be interviewed for this story, joined the park district in December 2013 as accounting manager with a base salary of $72,500. Records show she was promoted to director of finance starting at $97,000 and received salary and merit increases every year, eventually taking on the title of director of finance and IT and earning a salary of more than $135,000, plus benefits.

Donahue, who served as district chief in an interim capacity this year between the retirement of Liza McElroy and the appointment of Brian Romes, said in the May 13 termination letter that district staff had discussed communication issues with Curtis throughout 2017 and 2018.

"The issues appear to have gotten worse in the last three months, culminating in instances of blatant rudeness to coworkers and unprofessional behavior," Donahue wrote.

In one example, Donahue said Curtis was asked on May 2 to change the date of a budget training to accommodate another all-day training.

"You stood up, pointed your finger, raised your voice and said, 'Don't ever inconvenience me again,'" to another member of the management team before walking out of the meeting, Donahue wrote.

Rob Bush, a lawyer representing the park district from the firm Ancel Glink, told Patch the letter referencing Curtis' immediate termination was never sent. The letter does not "represent the actual action, intent or spirit of the Park District," he said.

Park district staff declined to be interviewed about their "actual action, intent or spirit."

Bush also claimed the letter, which was signed by Donahue, was "never used" by the park district and it would be "grossly misleading" to suggest it reflected "any action or intent" by the district. However, Curtis' separation agreement directly referenced the letter, demonstrating the draft termination letter was indeed used in the context of negotiating her departure.

"The Park District cannot destroy records relating to my termination but will agree to place the letter regarding the same in a file separate from my personnel file," Curtis said in the agreement, raising the question of what would meet the district's lawyer's definition of "using."

Bush declined to say if discussing the draft termination letter with Curtis during negotiations over her severance package met his definition of "used."

The Park District of Highland Park employed 586 people, including 85 full-time staff members, as of the start of July.

Before her departure, Curtis had the second-highest salary in the district, behind only the interim executive director. But as of March 1, her IT responsibilities were taken away and her boss recommended her pay increases be frozen for the next review in lieu of the change, according to a handwritten note on her employment form.

According to its 2019 budget, the park district receives 58.73 percent of its money from taxpayers. Staff budgeted for the district's salary costs to increase 11 percent from 2018 to 2019, due to efforts to become "fully staffed."

Taxes for the park district, which operates 700 areas of land and in 44 park areas, comprised nearly 7 percent of the average property tax bill collected last year, only slightly less than taxpayers provided the City of Highland Park, which operates fire and police departments, public works and other services, according to the city's website.

A comparison of 2018 data from the Illinois Comptroller Fiscal Responsibility scorecard shows the district trails several fellow North Shore park districts in per capita spending. Glencoe Park District spent $1,371 per resident, the Lake Bluff Park District spent $1,152 per resident and the Northbrook Park District spent $1,064 per resident.

The Highland Park district is on par with Wilmette's and Winnetka's, which all spent between $940 and $950 per resident last year, according to the data. Meanwhile, the Deerfield Park District spent $787 per resident, the Glenview Park District spent $603 per resident and the Skokie Park District reported $443 in per capita spending, while Lake Forest and most of Evanston do not have separate park districts. Instead, they operate parks and recreation departments within their municipal governments.