Conflict, Safety Issues Debated as Innaugural Dumfries Parks Commission Rolls Out

DUMFRIES, Va. — Councilman Derek Wood has been tapped to lead a new Parks and Recreation Commission in the Town of Dumfries.

Wood served as the catalyst for creating the new commission and helped to secure $25,000 of un-appropriated funds that will be used for events to be held at the town’s three parks in the coming year. Wood will serve as the elected official appointed to lead the commission made up of five town residents who were also appointed Tuesday night.

While Prince William County has a parks and recreation department, it is not permitted to plan activities at the town’s parks.

Wood’s appointment did not come without debate, however, as some council members feared the appointment would lead to a conflict of interest if Wood — who works as barbeque chef on a mobile food truck during the day — is allowed to select vendors for upcoming events at town parks.

“This is like the fox in the hen house,” said Mayor Jerry Foreman. “If he’s in charge of the commission, his business should not be allowed to participate in events.”

Councilman Charles Brewer agreed.

“It’s a matter of if you’re getting any monetary gains, and if the commission will be voting on individual vendors, then you’re right, it’s a conflict of interest,” said Brewer.

Foreman and Brewer were the only dissenting votes on the measure to approve Wood to lead the commission, and Wood voted for himself.

Councilwoman Kristen Forrester took a different view.

“I don’t see a conflict of interest. In this role, the members of the commission are like consultants, and if you’re a consultant, and we’re going to be asking you how to conduct events like these,” said Forrester.

The members of the newly formed commission must determine how long each member will serve. It was recommended at Tuesday’s meeting that members of all-male group serve staggered terms, some for one year and some for three.

But it was the all male makeup of the commission that didn’t sit well with Councilwoman Helen Reynolds.

“Why does it have to be all males? Did no females apply?” asked Reynolds. “There’s things that females think about that males don’t, like safety, that males don’t think about.”

Vice Mayor Willie Toney, who served on the town’s Ginn Park Commission and was integral in the selection and recommendation process for the new parks commission members, said one woman did express interest in the job but did not complete the application process.

Forrester reminded the Council that the application process, while formal, does not hold the final say as to who serves on the commission.

“These people serve at our pleasure, so if we have a particular person we wanted to appoint we could do that. We don’t’ have to follow this particular process,” she said.”