Litchfield Park District Seeks Office Staffer After Abrupt Resignation

Article Summary: The Litchfield Park District’s administrative assistant quit without notice on the day of the board’s June meeting, leaving Executive Director Steven C. Bryant covering both jobs while the district recruits a replacement. Interviews were set for July 6, 2026.

Park District Staffing Key Points:

Administrative Assistant Debbie Anderson quit without notice on the day of the board’s June 3, 2026, meeting.

Bryant has been performing the administrative assistant’s duties in addition to his own.

The district received three applications after advertising in the Journal Register and through the job service; interviews were scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2026.

Separately, Connie Bitter has been hired part time as the district’s public relations and social media staffer and has been helping in the office as needed.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield Park District Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, was told that the district’s administrative assistant resigned without notice last month and that Executive Director Steven C. Bryant has been absorbing the vacant position’s duties on top of his own.

Administrative Assistant Debbie Anderson quit without notice on the day of the board’s June 3, 2026, meeting, according to the minutes. The record does not state a reason for the resignation and does not indicate that the board discussed one.

The district advertised the opening in the Journal Register, and the job service also advertised the position on the district’s behalf, the minutes state. Three applications were received. Bryant was scheduled to interview the applicants on Monday, July 6, 2026, and told commissioners he intends to fill the position as soon as possible.

The item was listed on the agenda under new business as “Discuss recent employee resignation and replacement status.” No motion was made and no vote was taken, according to the minutes; the matter came before the board as a report rather than as an action item.

A Second Hire Already in Place

Commissioners were also told that Connie Bitter has been hired to work part time as the district’s public relations and social media person, and that she has been assisting in the office as needed. The minutes do not state when Bitter was hired, what the position pays, how many hours it involves, or whether the board previously authorized it. No dollar figures appear anywhere in the July 1 record.

The staffing gap comes as the district juggles a summer program calendar that includes swim lessons and pool operations, a monthly concert series at Walton Park, and preparation of a funding request under what the minutes call the Duff fund. Bryant was also asked at the same meeting to bring cost estimates for possible Duff fund projects to the board’s next meeting and to report back with more detail on a property the district has been considering in connection with the Davis Park soccer fields.