Nora Grace-Flood photo
Parks: "I wish nothing but success for the next coordinator of the Office of Violence Prevention."
Reuel Parks is stepping down from his role as the city’s first ever violence prevention coordinator roughly three months after taking on the new Elicker Administration job.
Parks submitted his resignation letter to the mayor on Tuesday. His last day in his City Hall post will be April 12.
“I’m passionate about working to make our communities safer and deeply believe in the mission and work of the Office of Violence Prevention, however, this particular position was simply not the right fit for me personally at this time,” Parks said in an email comment passed along by the mayor’s office.
“I look forward to continuing to advance the work of violence prevention and supporting the most vulnerable and at-risk members of our community in a different capacity, and I wish nothing but success for the next coordinator of the Office of Violence Prevention.”
An ex-parole officer, clinical therapist, and member of Hamden’s Board of Education, Parks was tapped in early January to serve as New Haven’s first ever coordinator for the new Office of Violence Prevention. The city created that coordinator job in September 2021 as part of the new Department of Community Resilience.
At a Jan. 13 press conference, Mayor Justin Elicker said that Parks’s responsibilities in the coordinator role would include acting as a liaison to connect government and nonprofit organizations so that New Haven residents who are identified as likely perpetrators of violence — primarily shootings — receive the support services they need to limit lives lost.
The role also is tasked with overseeing the recently created PRESS Program (Program for Reintegration, Engagement, Safety and Support). The Elicker Administration created that program last March to boost collaboration between the New Haven Police Department, the state Department of Correction, the state Offices of Probation and Parole, the local reentry services organization Project M.O.R.E., the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the city Community Services Administration, the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program (CTVIP), and others.
City spokesperson Lenny Speiller said that Parks’s duties will be assumed by Department of Community Resilience Executive Director Carlos Sosa-Lombardo until a new permanent replacement is identified “as expeditiously as possible.” “We wish him well in his next professional endeavor,” Speiller said about Parks.
Leadership Failure? Civil Servant Disrespect?
Liam Brennan, one of three Democratic challengers seeking to unseat two-term incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker in this year’s mayoral election, told the Independent he sees this sudden departure as emblematic of poor supervision and leadership at City Hall.
He described Parks’s departure as a “failure of policy will and management skill in a crucial program for reimagining public safety. This is an obvious indicator of the need for change at the top. With better management and a clearer vision, I’m confident that we can reinvigorate the Office of Violence Prevention to deliver the results our community deserves.”
In an email statement sent to the Independent, Elicker emphasized that Parks’s decision to leave this job was a personal one that came out of his determining the job was not the right fit for him at this time. “I respect Mr. Parks’ decision, and I’d encourage Mr. Brennan to do the same,” Elicker said.
The mayor added: “The City of New Haven has hundreds of dedicated civil servants – police officers, firefighters, social services professionals, and other first responders – working around the clock to keep our residents and streets safe. The data and facts are very clear: New Haven has experienced a decline in crime year over year, and an increase in supports and services for residents who are most at-risk of violence and eager to reenter our community, rebuild their lives, and become productive members of society. Mr. Brennan’s continued negativity and mischaracterization of these efforts and the city’s progress is not helpful or constructive – and, frankly, belittles the remarkable work being done by so many dedicated public servants working tirelessly to keep our city safe every day.”