County Exec Scott Walker announced his intention to appoint Dave Wilson as head of the Parks Department. That would be a mistake.

When I served on the County Board, Wilson was the Regional Manager for the north region in the Parks Department. The problem was that it was nearly impossible to get in contact with Wilson. Taking days off, leaving early and not being around in the regional branch were common problems with Wilson. He was generally unresponsive and even combative when I pressed him to send crews out to take care of constituent concerns.

But Walker does understand partisan loyalty. Under former Parks Director Sue Baldwin, Wilson was clearly going no where and would never see a promotion. When Walker entered the county scene, Wilson and his wife became Walker backers. Now Walker is rewarding him with a nearly six figure job.

If Walker was serious about improving the efficiency of County government he never would have submitted the appointment of David Wilson to the County Board. If Wilson couldn’t be a decent Regional Manager he certainly cannot be a decent Director of Parks and Public Infrastructure.

For a pitiful glossing over of the story, sort through the JSOnline column.