Marilyn Hull says boards ‘must be empowered to do the work they were created to do’
A longtime member of Lawrence’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has stepped down, citing among many concerns that she felt the board’s recommendation against the city charging fees to use rec centers has been effectively buried.
Marilyn Hull served on a previous iteration of the board starting in August 2018, and she has served since — more than seven years altogether, according to city records. Advisory board positions are unpaid, volunteer roles.
Hull was unavailable for further comment Wednesday but said she hoped her resignation letter spoke for itself.
“Over the last year, I have grown increasingly frustrated with the way recently adopted city board policies and staff practices have diminished our ability to effectively advise you,” Hull wrote to the city commission Monday evening.
“Our role, as I understood it, was to bring community perspective, expertise, and thoughtful guidance to your decision-making. Instead, we have often been sidelined, with meaningful input curtailed or disregarded.”
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As examples, Hull cited the planning process for the outdoor pool renovation, the development of the Parks and Rec comprehensive plan, and the proposal to implement fees for residents to access the city’s recreation centers.
A complete redesign of the outdoor pool, which the Lawrence City Commission had approved, sparked community pushback from people who voiced concerns that the plans would’ve cut open swim space roughly in half.
The advisory board deferred a vote on the department’s comprehensive plan in January upon realizing that the Cultural Arts Commission had not yet had an opportunity to weigh in, then voted to approve it in February.
“The board was not brought in at the start of the planning processes to articulate guiding principles, community values, and priorities to shape the work,” Hull wrote. “Consultants and staff drove those processes, with only performative community engagement and occasional consultant updates to the board. In the case of the pool, it took a major intervention by concerned citizens to overturn your vote that was based on a faulty planning process.”
This summer, Parks and Rec staff members have proposed charging fees for Lawrence residents to use Sports Pavilion Lawrence and the Holcom Park and East Lawrence recreation centers. They’re currently admission-free, and the proposed fees are intended to offset budget cuts the department must make as part of an overall city shortfall. (Read more about the proposal in the articles at this link.)
Hull — who had pushed for the proposed rates to be released long before they were — wrote in her letter that city staff members had “sprung rates on us the night before their presentation to you, leaving us to draft a rushed recommendation” in July.
And last week, board members voted 4-3 to recommend against fees to use the rec centers, “citing strong public resistance and likely inadequate and unworkable income checks,” Hull wrote to the commission. “But staff has now stalled delivery of our recommendation to you for weeks — effectively burying it.”
The timing is important because the commission is set to hold its public hearings on the 2026 budget at its next meeting, on Sept. 2, and then likely give final approval to the budget on Sept. 16. A majority of commissioners said last month that they would support charging fees to use rec centers.
“I continue to believe deeply in the importance of vibrant, accessible, and well-supported parks, recreation, and cultural resources for Lawrence,” Hull wrote. “However, I cannot remain on a board that is not given the respect, tools, or authority to fulfill its stated purpose.”
Hull wrote that she urges commissioners to reflect on how its advisory boards, and new rules adopted as part of a complete overhaul of city boards, have affected the quality and timing of recommendations they receive. She wrote that she remains committed to the health of Lawrence and hopes to see stronger collaboration between city leadership and advisory bodies in the future.
Vicki Collie-Akers, vice chair of the Parks and Rec Advisory Board, said Hull “demonstrated remarkable leadership and service.”
“Her commitment to assuring opportunities for health and well-being for people living in Lawrence was evident through a range of actions including everything from her thoughtful questions and encouragement to center equity considerations during board meetings to her actions to help fill a lifeguard shortage and help keep pools open (in 2021) outside of board meetings,” she said via email, referencing when Hull, a retiree, took a job as a lifeguard in 2021 and 2022 to fill a need for the city.
Collie-Akers said Hull’s resignation letter raised important and valid questions about the purpose and role of the city’s advisory boards, “as well as whether the advisory boards are adequately or sufficiently supported in fulfilling those roles.”
Lisa Hallberg, chair of the board, said Hull has been a tireless advocate for healthy spaces in the community. She said Hull is the kind of person who shows up for the community and listens to what people are asking about and wanting to see happen.
“I know that she will continue that work, even if she feels she can’t continue to serve on the Parks & Recreation advisory board, and I respect and understand her decision to resign,” Hallberg said via email. “Lawrence is lucky to have community members like her, and I am proud to have served on the board with her.”
Vice Mayor Brad Finkeldei said he has known Hull a long time and respects her work on the board, “as I do all of its board members.”
“I have watched their meetings, listened to their discussions, and recognize the arguments for and against recreation center fees,” Finkeldei said via email. “I think their input has been meaningful and strongly considered by myself and my fellow commissioners.”
He said if ultimately he does support some level of fees for the rec centers, that’s because he has come to a different conclusion based on all the factors he’s weighing with regard to the city budget — not because the board’s input has been disregarded.
“And indeed, if in the end, the commission supports something different then the staff’s initial proposal, that is a testament to the work of the board and shows that they, and others, did have an impact on the ultimate outcome,” he said. “So I thank Marilyn for her service and want her to know that she did make a difference.”
He did not directly respond to Hull’s broader concerns about how the city is using its advisory boards.
Lawrence Mayor Mike Dever and Commissioners Lisa Larsen, Bart Littlejohn and Amber Sellers had not responded to an email seeking comment for this article by the time of publication.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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