Cedar Lake parks board removes vice-president election, elects Gail Brannen as president

The Cedar Lake Parks & Recreation Board on Tuesday amended its agenda to remove the planned election for Vice President and appointed Gail Brannen as President.

Chair opened the meeting and explained the Vice President election was being removed because the outgoing member’s term runs through Dec. 29 and the vacancy stemmed from a resignation. "My term does not end until December 29… We're replacing Paul who resigned," the Chair said while proposing the agenda change. A board member moved to remove the Vice President nomination/election; a second was recorded and the motion passed by roll call, 4-0.

The board also voted to remove the agenda item appointing committee vacancies, saying the board will not form subcommittees at this time. "We are not going to have subcommittees," the Chair said; the motion to remove that appointment item carried 4-0.

On the election for President, Greg Marquardt nominated Gail Brannen and Pam Howard seconded the nomination. The board approved the nomination by roll-call vote, 4-0, and members congratulated Brannen after the result.

Why it matters: the procedural changes narrow the board’s near-term agenda and postpone filling some internal roles; electing a new president sets the leadership for the group’s upcoming programming and meeting schedule.

The board also changed its July meeting date because of a scheduling conflict with Summerfest and another board; members moved the July 2 meeting to Thursday, June 25, and approved that change by roll call. The meeting adjourned after the scheduled items continued under the newly established leadership.

Next steps: the board will convene on Thursday, June 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the same location.