CRWA in the News
Troubled parks agency to get chief
Romney expected to name lawyer
Governor Mitt Romney is expected to name a new commissioner for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation today, turning to a Brookline environmentalist and lawyer to mend an agency critics say is beset by internal strife and a decaying park system.
Stephen H. Burrington, currently a top official in Romney's Office for Commonwealth Development, would be the fourth head of the parks agency since two former agencies, the Department of Environmental Management and the Metropolitan District Commission, merged two summers ago.
Romney is expected to make the announcement today, according to environmentalists and officials on Beacon Hill familiar with the appointment.
The fusion of the two state agencies two years ago fulfilled one of Romney's primary goals in his bid to streamline government and eliminate patronage jobs.
But DCR, which oversees state parks and many recreational facilities and roadways, has had a rough start.
Not only do the cultures of the Department of Environmental Management and Metropolitan District Commission remain in an uncomfortable marriage, observers say, but many parks and recreation assets around the state are in disrepair and badly need new investment. A former commissioner was asked to resign earlier this year after an unplowed sidewalk led to an accident that hurt high school students.
Robert Zimmerman Jr., executive director of the Charles River Watershed Association, said Burrington, whom he described as a close friend of 14 years, was going into this with his ''eyes wide open."
''There are lots of things that need to be addressed, and Steve is clearly aware of the kinds of problems that he faces," Zimmerman said. ''But I think he's looking at this as: With problems come opportunities."
Zimmerman said some employees don't know to whom they report, friction exists with labor unions, and many parks are in need of improvements.
Burrington was initially leery of taking on the job, Zimmerman said, but decided that he was up to the task.
''He's certainly not the type to run away from a challenge," Zimmerman said.
But Jack Clark, director of public policy for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, said that while his organization will work with him, he questions whether Burrington has the management experience to fix serious problems at one of the largest park systems in the country.
To be successful, Clark said, Burrington needs to ''provide inspirational leadership to the staff, to provide inspirational stewardship of the natural resources for the citizens of the Commonwealth, and to forge a working relationship with state legislators. The question is whether or not he's up to the challenge."
Clark contends that the stakes are high for Romney, who has said he wants Massachusetts to have a world-class park system. The success of DCR, Clark said, will determine the success of the governor's largest overhaul effort.
Burrington joined the Romney administration in 2003 with Douglas I. Foy, the former head of the Conservation Law Foundation. Foy came to Beacon Hill to lead the new Office for Commonwealth Development, which oversees several key agencies dealing with the environment, housing, and transportation, among other issues.
Burrington has played a key role in developing a program called Commonwealth Capital, which targets state spending to projects that promote sustainable development. And he helped Romney develop a 20-year plan for transit improvements.
Previously, Burrington had worked at the Conservation Law Foundation since 1988, serving as vice president and general counsel in his last five years there.
Friends and former colleagues say he was an innovator, particularly in the area of transportation.
Peter Shelley, a former colleague at the Conservation Law Foundation, said Burrington helped people understand transportation as a quality-of-life issue. He was instrumental, for example, in the organization's work securing state commitments to other transit projects to offset the environmental impact of the Big Dig, Shelley said. (One project, the extension of the Green Line into Somerville, was unveiled in May.)
''Steve really is both a dedicated environmentalist and a people person," said Shelley, adding that Burrington will need both skills to turn around the DCR.
Burrington could not be reached for comment.
Burrington is someone who loves parks, Zimmerman said, explaining that he should know his way around a trail because he once worked as a ranger with the Adirondack Mountain Club.
The last permanent head of the DCR, Katherine F. Abbott, was asked by Romney to resign in February after four West Roxbury High School students were struck by a pickup while walking to class in the travel lanes of the VFW Parkway, a road DCR is responsible for maintaining.
The accident occurred days after the school's headmaster had asked for better snow removal on sidewalks and crosswalks.
The Legislature needs someone in the job who can make a compelling case for why the parks deserve more money, said state Senator Pamela P. Resor, cochairwoman of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture.
Resor said there are few parks in Massachusetts that don't need help.
''We're definitely going to give him the chance," she said, ''and I hope he has the skills."
Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com.
