November 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 24

Meet the Mayor

, Mayor
ing enthusiast
An avid bicycl
lly takes part in
Johnson typica
to Work Day.
Hernando's Bike

creating the infrastructure to foster
healthy active living is a key determinant of quality of life. In your
region, residents and businesses
are voting with their feet and seeking out Hernando to live, work and
play. Is the broader business community in your region taking notes
from Hernando? Have you seen
" peer cities " adopting similar " livability " strategies?
Mayor Johnson: We have just had
a major business from Germany expand into Hernando with very few incentives. We are finding that creating
a high quality of life, with health and
wellness as a cornerstone, will attract
business leaders who understand that
a healthy workforce is more desirable
than monetary incentives.
P&R: Many elected officials question
the role of the government in providing support for infrastructure,
like parks, trails and streetscape
improvements. In your experience,
what is the proper role of government at all levels in creating this infrastructure, and what role can the
22 Parks & Recreation

private sector play in creating this
type of infrastructure?
Mayor Johnson: I think that the role
of local government is to facilitate
whatever the majority of the people
in the city decide that they want to
fund with their tax dollars. The people will let you know very quickly
if they think you are spending their
hard-earned money unwisely on
things that they don't want. I am
very firm in my belief that the
government should never get involved in dictating your personal
health choices. However, if you
decide that you want to be healthier, we should provide you an atmosphere and an opportunity to
make the healthy choice.
We also posed a few questions
to Dewayne Williams, CPRP, who
serves as director of Hernando
Parks and Recreation.
P&R: We are impressed by your
H.E.A.L. program; tell our readers a
bit more about this initiative.
Dewayne Williams: The Healthy
Eating Active Living Program was
created because I realized my inside
numbers were not good. I looked
healthy outwardly but inwardly I
was not well. I thought, " How can
we bring awareness to people about
the importance of knowing their
numbers? " We don't want to just
celebrate a person for losing weight
- we want to promote and celebrate
overall wellness.
We get instructors from local
gyms and the community to lead
classes. If a person connects with
an instructor, they are more likely to
enroll in that particular gym so they
can continue their wellness journey.
We also have the local hospital and
others to educate us about healthy

| N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | w w w. N R PA . O R G

living. One of the best byproducts
of the H.E.A.L. program is the relationships that are created. People
become friends and inspiration for
each other, come out of their shell
and share in the wellness journey.
P&R: What should other park and
recreation directors take away
from the Hernando experience in
helping to create a culture of health
in their communities?
Williams: Parks directors should see
parks and recreation as a leader in
combating obesity. We connect with
entire families so we have opportunities to impact children, their parents and other relatives. A culture of
health goes beyond children, race and
economic status, so there is an opportunity to connect and provide essential services to a diverse population.
Lastly, your community will see you
as a person who cares about them.
P&R: As a park director in a relatively new department, what accomplishments are you most proud of?
Williams: I started Hernando Parks
just eight years ago, and we have
grown from zero programs to 23 programs with only three staff members.
We went from 25 acres of park land
to almost 140 acres of park land with
only three maintenance men. All of
this with a total budget of approximately $666,000. We have just over
28 percent of our population participating in our programs. I am most
proud of us providing essential services with diverse programs, serving
diverse groups of people, being financially responsible and improving the
community's quality of life.
Kevin O'Hara is NPRA's Vice President of
Urban and Government Affairs (kohara@
nrpa.org).

November 2014 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2014 - Parks & Recreation