High hopes for the new boss of BREC

We’re encouraged and optimistic about Carolyn McKnight-Bray, the new head of Baton Rouge’s public parks system.

McKnight-Bray brings with her an impressive resume of accomplishment in government work, and she has experience working in parks.

BREC has an awesome array of parks and facilities, but it can be so much more. We don’t just need a caretaker. We want and need a leader who’ll continue to improve our parks.

And in addition to BREC’s new chief executive officer, there are a number of new appointments coming up for BREC at the end of this year. It’s time for some new young blood on the commission—not the same old faces. Will the Metro Council make it a priority to appoint young people at this time? What about parents who regularly use the parks. Shouldn’t they be a more prominent voice in discussions about the system?

Also, we think the Metro Council needs to change the appointment rules so that the School Board and the Planning Commission don’t each have appointees on BREC’s board. BREC board members’ guiding focus needs to be parks and facilities, not other government agencies.

This is no time to look in the rearview mirror. We’re optimistic about the selection of McKnight-Bray of Dallas, which is no stranger to progress or first-class facilities.

We hope she’s brought new ideas with her. We know true talent isn’t cheap (her predecessor earned more than $200,000 a year), but it’s reasonable to expect the investment to pay tangible dividends for families, kids and our community.