Fargo police Lt. Vettel seeking 'dream job' leading city's park system

FARGO – Police Lt. Joel Vettel is one of 21 people who have applied to be the next leader of the city’s park district.
He called the executive director position a “dream job” that he has been thinking about for years.
Vettel, 45, is a 19-year veteran of the police force who has also spent 12 years on the Fargo Park Board, serving twice as board president.
“I’m very confident that I have the tools and qualifications to really be the next leader for the Fargo Park District,” he said.
Vettel resigned from the Park Board this month to avoid any conflict of interest presented by his candidacy.
The police lieutenant was a finalist for the city’s police chief position last year , but the City Commission selected Dave Todd, who had been serving as the interim chief for several months. Vettel was the head of the investigations unit and the spokesman for the Fargo Police Department until recently, when he was shifted to a position in patrol. Also, since taking control of the department, Todd has promoted two of Vettel’s fellow lieutenants to deputy chief.
In an interview Monday, Vettel said his true calling is more broad than police work.
“I think oftentimes people assume that because of the more high-profile position that I’ve had in law enforcement, that that’s really my love, is being a police officer. I think I’ve recognized that it isn’t necessarily my love of being a police officer, it’s my love of public service and providing opportunities to really increase the quality of life for the people that I serve, and whether that’s my law enforcement hat or my Park District hat, that’s really been my driving goal and motivation.”
Vettel said he has talked openly about wanting two jobs: park district executive director and police chief. Both jobs opened up in the past year.
Vettel said he continues to enjoy working for Fargo police and it’s a job that gave him “valuable insight” into the community.
“You always have mixed feelings about applying for another position when you still love your position, but I also recognize that there’s an opportunity for what I think is some great challenges, and I’m probably at the point in my life where I need different challenges,” he said.
He said the Park District has an excellent staff. “I want to take that really outstanding organization and really bring it to that next level,” he said.
The Park District job opened up after Executive Director Roger Gress announced his retirement.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 15. A five-member search committee will interview applicants and present its recommendations to the Park Board in May.
The executive director is the administrative head of the parks system, which has a 2016 budget of about $27 million. The salary range for the post is $125,000 to $175,000, depending on experience.