Q & A with NRPA Chairman Ron Lehman Last fall, Channahon Community Park District Commissioner Ron Lehamn became the National Park and Recreation Association chairman of the board. Lehman, a retired coach and principal at Minooka High School, has been a commissioner at Channahon since 1972 and has served as the treasurer for 23 years. He was elected to the IAPD board in 1985, and he served as president in 1992. He has been a represenative to the NRPA Great Lakes Regional Council since 1990. In 1994, he began his term of service on the NRPA Board of Trustees. For the past four years, he has served as treasurer. For his continued service to the community and parks and recreation, in 1995 Lehman was named the Alan Weisburg Citizen of the Year, and in 1995 he won the American Park and Recreation Society Meritorious Citizen of the Year. Recently, the editors of IP&R visited with him to discuss his goals for his tennure as chairman. Here is an edited version of that conversation.

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Q: You are the NRPA chairman of the board. What are your main duties, and what do you hope to accomplish?

Representing the association, being available to the executive director as needed, providing advice and direction for the association and serving as a spokesperson for recreation and park needs comprise most of my time in so far as a day-to-day or month-to-month time demand is concerned.

Long-term, I want the association to become the information center for members. Research, instructional materials, best practices, historical information, as well as public policy positions and pending legislation can and should be available to members. Increased membership, revenue development and planned giving, as well as developing a better means of communication between regions, branches, sections and the association are also priority items for me.

Q: How have your 33 years of service as a Channahon Community Park District commissioner prepared you for your role as NRPA chairman?

The years as a Channahon commissioner have given me an awareness and an appreciation for the variety of demands and needs that the people we serve expect from us.

It didn't take long to realize that we didn't know all the answers and that the district has to network with other local governmental bodies, fellow districts and the state association in order to make decisions.

Over the years, the people you meet, the things you learn, the contacts established, the wide variety of circumstances, situations and problems met all help form a perspective that helps commissioners wherever they happen to be - whether they're at the next monthly park district meeting or at the next NRPA board of trustees meeting.

Q: What are the major issues facing the NRPA, and are these similar or different from the issues that Illinois commissioners and park and recreation professionals face on the local level?

Major issues facing the NRPA revolve around its commitment to continuing to be the leader in the areas of professional education and training, helping influence public policy, encouraging citizen involvement and seeking partnerships with other related organizations or private businesses in order to create more opportunities for clients to enrich the quality of their lives.

Throughout our state and nation, the awareness of the value of parks and recreation is at an all-time high. This has resulted in more demands and expectations from our users. Unfortunately, we live in a time when domestic and international issues have diverted public funding from many public programs. As we struggle to do more with less locally, we need to recognize that a stronger national voice for parks and recreation is vital. We can speak with that stronger voice only if more people take an active role in the national organization. Illinois has the largest number of NRPA citizen members in the country. Illinois has the potential to have the largest NRPA professional membership in the country. Illinois is a leader, but the challenge is if we can do more.

It starts in parks — but it extends to everyone connected to parks and recreation.

Q: You recently went to Washington with other members of the NRPA to discuss park and recreation issues with lawmakers. What were some of those issues and how did members of congress receive your efforts?

An increase in funding — or at least the preservation of the current level of funding — for land and water, along with the preservation of the transportation enhancement bill were the primary topics.

Attendees of the conference reported almost to a person that every Congressperson could relate to the value of parks and recreation. Many, however, also stated there was so much pressure from so many groups for funding that it would be a costly mistake if the message delivered at this national forum were just a one-time reminder. The squeaky wheel concept was repeated over and over.

The actual outcome of those days in Washington will not be determined until April and May. Continued lobbying is vital.

We've seen how it works the same way in Illinois.

IAPD/IPRA Go to Washington IAPD and IPRA members joined NRPA Chairman Ron Lehman and more than 400 other park and recreation supporters from 48 states at this year's NRPA Legislative Forum on Parks and Recreation in Washington, D.C. Members met with legislatiors on Capitol Hill to discuss such issues as the proposed budget cuts for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Transportation Equity Act, which contains millions of dollars for the trails and scenic byways. Part of the Illinois delegation met with Congressman Ray LaHood, who represents Illinois' 18th Congressional District that encompasses central and western Illinois. In his office are (from the left) Bill McAdam of the Oswegoland Park District, Richard Grodsky of the Elmhurst Park District, Dennis Flanagin of the Lan-Oak Park District, IAPD President and CEO Ted Flickinger, Representative LaHood, Colette Kubiesa of the Elmhurst Park District, Liza McElroy of the Winnetka Park District, Mary Garrison of the Winnetka Park District, and Elizabeth Kessler of the Skokie Park District.

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Q: How would you compare the relationships that IAPD and IPRA members have been able to develop with their legislators to the type of relationships that NRPA members have been able to forge with members of the U.S. congress?

IAPD and IPRA are role models for most of the USA.

As I travel around, I see that many states have developed some strong legislator alliances, also. This is not as apparent to me at the Congressional level.

Part of the problem is NRPA does not have a large national membership. Very few states have a large citizen membership, since they do not have the separate agency format as Illinois.

Most professionals (I estimate four fifths) belong to their state or their specialty branch, not the national organization. As a result. Congressional support develops at the state level because a politician can see a "vote" if he or she can get local recognition. But this does not lend itself to a lot of Congressional togetherness on national legislation or budget support.

Q: Are there relationship building techniques and practices that are successful in Illinois that can be replicated at the national level and vise versa?

IAPD and IPRA, again, are role models of how the two components of citizen and professional can work together for the common good. If this same spirit could be replicated between fellow state organizations and the national organization, I believe we would be more unified in developing a strong national program that would then result in stronger national awareness and recognition of what parks and recreation do for the quality of life of the people of this nation.

Q: How would you encourage Illinois commissioners and professionals to get involved in NRPA? What benefits can they expect?

Professionals and citizens should encourage all professional staff to become members of their national organization.

Citizens should become more involved in the political advocacy of parks and recreation.

IAPD and IPRA provide excellent opportunities for training and information relating to the current political situation. This is important at local, state and national levels.

Attend your state and national conferences to remain current on issues, programs, best practices, etc.

Become a member of one of the state or national committees.

These actions will not only strengthen the state and national organizations, but, more important, they will allow you to become a more informed and better leader, which makes your district receive the most benefit of all.

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