CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati parks board President Otto Budig has stepped down, the board announced in a statement Thursday. His term will end on Dec. 31.
Budig was appointed president of the board by Mayor John Cranley after Budig's term ended in Sept. 2015, according to a statement from the parks board.
"Mr. Budig, who served as President, felt his notice was appropriate due to the bi-laws regarding officers not be eligible to conduct Park Board meetings when their term is expired," the statement said.
Budig nominated Dianne Rosenberg to be the new board president and Robert Anning as vice president. Both nominations were approved unanimously.
Merri Gaither Smith, vice president of the board, said in October that she would not seek another term. Thursday was her last meeting after 12 years on the board.
Mayor Cranley issued this statement on Budig's resignation:
“A great living Cincinnatian, Otto Budig served with distinction on the Park Board, just as he has at the Recreation Commission and at the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. Under his leadership, the Parks Department has built the greatest riverfront park in the country and led the revitalization of Over-the-Rhine with a transformed Washington park. A man of unparalleled generosity and commitment to Cincinnati's art institutions, he has spent the bulk of his career building a better Cincinnati than he grew up in. Leaving the world better than we found it is the mark of a worthy life.”
