The park system has been a disaster since the Ament era. Thank all of the greedy county workers who cashed out in the criminal pension scandal, that is the reason why the parks look like Detroit.

Black has been stellar. I can't imagine why Abele would not handle whatever this is about in a more diplomatic way.

Not being from around here, i could care less about the dandelions, or weeds.......nothing in milwaukee is worth keeping around, which includes mostly the county employees and politicians

This is unexpected and upsetting. The County Parks system was an area of hostile focus and underfunding by Walker. Black became known as one of the few who could actually get Walker to comprehend and provide a measure of cooperation. It was her efforts that have kept the County Parks in decent condition; before Black found her groove some in town were beginning to fear that Walker wanted to do away with green spaces entirely and sell the land.

One has to wonder what happened.

Unless something else comes to light, it sounds a bit like a situation where there's a desire to get someone out of the way prior to undertaking an "exhaustive search" that ultimately ends up with someone familiar to the person doing the firing getting hired.

RIght on Bob McBride...think you nailed that one.

Milwaukee is a dying town--little Detroit--and the evidence comes from many directions.

I mean, this is the clown outfit that brought us Holloway, refuses to prosecute mob (and I don't mean mafia) crime, and has all but cut off access to the airport since at least last fall.

What kind of idiotic business would move here--or stay here?

So it certainly follows that the ginormous Milwaukee clown board would get rid of anyone competent. If you laid them all end-to-end, you still wouldn't have a three-digit IQ.

Let's see if Abele sticks one of his cronies in this now vacant role. I'd assume it's at least a moderately high paying position. I can't say that Black was God's gift to the Milwaukee County Parks system, but it seems that the overall sentiment was that she was doing a pretty good job.

She could have been in talks w/ Chicago again about a job offer there since they were aggressively pursuing her before and that ultimately resulted in her pay raise in Milwaukee. Word could have gotten back to Abele and he cut the cord.

I guess we'll soon find out.

Abele made the point during a March 22, 2011, appearance with challenger Jeff Stone before the Milwaukee Rotary Club.

"You’ve got parks where for five years in a row earned revenue is growing and you have a parks director who earns the gold medal national award for the best managed park system but (her parks budget) gets cut and (she) doesn’t get a raise for five years."

Sounds like someone got a raw deal."

You would have to be in the inner circle to really know what goes on. The rest is only speculation. That said, Sue had some great ideas and worked with a consistantly declining budget. But lets not shortchange all of the park workers and managers who take great pride in maintaining a quality safe place for recreation. The parks will be fine, so long as their budget isn't cut past the bone. In our county park system we have the fewest dollars per acre than almost any other park system in the nation.

tosa townie, I think your onto something here: "weeds and dandelions on every grassy area, {weeds and dandelions are preferred by me to chemicals} park shelters all in disrepair(visit Doctors Park sometime), and any inner city park completely ignored....at best she has not let it get worse, nothing has improved." If Grant Park in So. Milw. didn't have the friends of the park the grape vines would have choked out and killed several of the multi species trees. The Pavillion is in horrible shape. Walker did work out a deal with deceased Mayor Bolendar and Alderman, Mike Toman of Oak Creek to sell Oak Creek, Bender Park which contains a boat launch that is expensive to maintain but also contributes significant revenues, and did list the sale of the park to the city as a revenue to balance the county budget one year. When the sale was objected to by Black and residents he had to borrow to finance the county. I suspect we need to closely watch Abel and probably do another recall if he attempts to sell Milw. Co. Park Lands. Sue would have objected so is this why she is out of the door? In the case of Bender, the city of Oak Creek which now regards itself as a business entity with all the money it receives from We Energies can under lawcon trade Bender Park Lands for other perhaps wetlands and build expensive high end Condos on the shores of Lake Michigan. Tax Payers beware I never even liked the looks of that Abel guy..

We can't have it both ways, smaller taxes and smaller budget and top shelf services. What built the parks? Wasn't it the CCC? To maintain them takes an expensive Herculean effort. Look at all the space and all the needs in those spaces: Grass, buildings, roads, concessions, pools, playgrounds, retaining walls, bridges, utilities and water services, golf courses, and more. There is so much complaining about the disrepair, and often it's by the same folks who want smaller budgets. Why can't we get a civilian park volunteer corps together to fill the gap? They are OUR parks. Remember, as Granny said, when you are pointing a finger, 3 fingers are pointing back at you. (Sorry, I thought it was funny) My point is that yes, the parks need some work, but rather than stomp and cry about it, while we wait for the benevolent overloard of socialism to squeeze the money out of us, let's take a breath and find another way to maintain them. Volunteer corps would help curb couch-potato obesity, bring people out of our self-imposed neighborhood isolation where we don't even know our neighbors, and bring a sense of "Mine" back to public lands. After all who is the public in 'public lands'...you or 'them'? Just brainstorming, and tired of the whining about who's not wokring for free.

Abele is an ass. He looks like one. Acts like one. So why doesn't he just come out with the truth why he fired Ms Black. Whats the big frickin secret Abele???? Your an idiot. Never like you & never will. Your an ass.

Now Ms. Black has the time she can join Tammy Baldwin's LGBT Army.

I will join in the outrage against any plant life other than artificially-perfect foreign turf grass existing in our park lands. Nature has no place there. I feel ashamed as well for putting funding my retirement account ahead of installing new sod and hiring Chemical Lawn to dispose of a few drums on my front yard.

I can only hope that our new parks director removes all trees and plants and replaces all open space with parking lots and golf courses. Might want to leave a little standing room in Hart Park for the public drunkenness events, though.

Told by insider, reason for firing is she had problem reporting to abele. As was said to me by one who knows " She acted lke Abele worked for her, not the other way around". Insider not at all surprised at firing. In fact, was surprised it took so long

Take comments for what they're worth, but my source is very reliable. By the way, I have no dog in this hunt

Hey is it time to recall Chris Abele? It is easy to blast Sue Black, now is is out. Little or no budge or support. Yes, Chris give her two raises then fire her, great plaining. The more I see Abele's smug face, the more he should drive a garage truck. Sue Black did the best she could, yes there are issues, but we still have one of the best system in the Nation..

Not having been in the area long enough to guess at why Abele let Black go (and let's face it, personality clashes are common reasons for these types of siituations in any workplace), I don't care to speculate on the whys. I will say I continue to find it bizarre that people prefer carcinogenic chemicals to dandelions... What year is it? 1953? Also, one thing that struck me is the lack of food and beverage vendors in the parks to boost revenue. Is the food-related litter really so bad that it's not worth it to have these vendors active and generating money before Memorial Day and after Labor Day? Even hot dog cart contracts might be a good idea. When it can be 80 degrees in April and the crowds of people in the parks have to bring in their own cold water and soda, it's a missed opportunity.

Politics ain't beanbag and Abele just created a problem for himself. Let's see if he has a solution.

Sue Black is a very talented individual who thinks outside the box when under challenging circumstances -- a very rare trait in governmental managers. She will land on her feet somewhere and probably with a higher salary than she had before.

Sue Blacks record speaks for itself winning numerous awards, Abele gives Sue two raises and a new contract and then he cans her? I truly think Abele has some mental problems, he is unstable.

Can't we simply abolish county government? Several years back there was discussion of a council of mayor's from every burb in the county taking over. At the time many were against it but perhaps it's time for reconsideration. Were seeing an annual increase in County Tax on our tax bills so lets just get rid of it. Less government is better isn't that the saying?

Question?? If my memory serves me correctly, the parks, zoo, library, museum were all established under Zeidler, a socialist. Someone made comment that the CCC built them does anyone know the facts?

I think sue black did a great job. She made it more affordable for family to enjoy the parks, golfing, etc. It's a shame she was let go.