The ousting of two veterans of Alexandria village government in the Nov. 3 election was followed the next day by the resignation of all members of the Alexandria Park Board.

Harold "Squeak" Lee, incumbent mayor and a longtime council member, and council veteran Karen Holt will leave their positions in January as the result of their defeat. Anticipating little support when a new council is seated, the board resigned en masse.

Park board trustees Naomi Compton, Bob Growdon, Georgia Hicks, Dan McCarthy and Tige Napier submitted a letter of resignation to Lee and also circulated it door-to-door in the village last weekend.

"Due to unfortunate circumstances within Alexandria's political climate, Park Board trustees unanimously resigned Nov. 4," the letter stated. "Unwarranted scrutiny of Park Board projects and operations based on unfounded hearsay created an environment where progress could no longer be achieved."

The park board felt like it wasn't making any progress, said Compton, former board chairperson.

"There were a lot of unfounded allegations," she told ThisWeek "We all presented facts and figures consistently."

Hicks, who served on the board for three years, said continued opposition was felt in every area by the board.

"During the last six months, things started falling apart," she said. "I hope someone can come in and take over some of the ideas we had. We're really proud of what we accomplished.

"The park is beautiful and we have more reservations there than ever," Hicks said. "Students from Columbus State developed a master plan with ideas from people in the community and park board. We hope someone will take it and go with it. "

Compton said a great deal has been accomplished to revitalize the park.

"We hope people will pick up the torch and move forward," she said. "We all pray for a return to positive interaction here in town."

In early 2005, volunteer board members reestablished a nearly defunct park board into a group that brought tens of thousands of dollars in grants, donations and free services to a neglected park setting, according to the board's ex-members.

Among other achievements, the board was awarded $19,000 in grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the Mary E. Babcock Foundation for a new play structure in 2006. The following year, the Park celebrated its 50th anniversary with a two-day event and rededication ceremony.

In 2008, fundraisers brought in $2,053; another $2,000 was awarded in grants from Wal-Mart and Park National Bank; and the Parker Community Park Master Plan was unveiled.

In 2009, weekend shelter rentals from May through September brought $300 to park funds.

Awards were also announced by ODNR and the Mary E. Babcock Foundation for $29,206 to be used for a walk trail and scenic overlook.

The park board membership joins a long list of resignations in 2009 including Carol Jasper, who resigned as mayor in early March citing an increased job commitments.

In late April, village solicitor Russ Adams, village administrator Chrissy Willeke and council member Tim Humes resigned their positions for various reasons. Council member Steven Hicks resigned in September, as did zoning inspector John Wilson.

After five months of working for the village, utility clerk/administrator Amy Kent resigned on Oct. 30. In her letter of resignation, she urged council to "take into consideration the scope of this job" before hiring a replacement.

Kent also pleaded with council members to work together for the good of the village.