Editor, the News-Herald:

What happened to our progressive and efficient Director of Parks and Recreation, Melody Green?

I can not believe one of the city’s best department heads, maybe the best, resigned after only 2-1/2 years with the City of Suffolk. She was just beginning her work here in our city.

We the citizens are owed an explanation. The Parks and Rec. was a department without leadership before Melody. We are most proud of her work and all the accomplishments of her department. The Parks & Rec Department is now a credit to this city. Melody was a full-time director who care about our parks and recreation facilities.

Since November 2000 I have been on the Greenways Trails volunteer committee. Melody Green was supposed to accept a state award for us at the Nov. 20th council meeting for the top Greenways and Blueways brochure in the state of Virginia. The award was removed from the agenda. All this work was the brainchild of Melody and her department. If her leaving was on the up-and-up, why wasn’t the award still presented by the state?

Why aren’t questions being asked at the higher levels about what happened to one of the city’s bright and shining stars? I’ve heard several people saying, &uot;What Melody wants, Melody gets.&uot;

That statement reflects her outstanding job in modernizing neighborhood playgrounds, making green and blue areas an important attraction to our city, developing trail systems, developing new parks, developing and implementing a Parks & Recreation Master Plan that was approved, and creative use of grants.

Our city is trying to retain highly professional employees. I consider Melody Green to be highly professional. If this can happen to her, who is next?

Dot Dalton

Chuckatuck