Ain Järve had been head of Kadriorg Park since 1990, before Estonia's independence had been restored.

"Järve left on his own initiative," the deputy mayor said.

However, Pere in an opinion piece penned for Eesti Ekspress had also outlined more broadly problems with the running of Kadriorg Park and their interface with the management of the capital more generally.

He outlined some of these to ERR, saying: "There had been many basic shortcomings: For example, there were no job descriptions associated with work positions, the chain of command was unclear, and internal communication was poor— one hand didn't know what the other had was doing."

He also picked up on an annual bugbear, one which reared its head as late on as late April this year, that of snow removal.

"The maintenance unit at Kadriorg park is one of the city's agencies responsible for clearing snow. So I wouldn't be surprised if there were a connection between poor snow removal and the poor management of Kadriorg Park," Pere said.

"An audit also revealed that fuel cards were used in large volumes, even when the holders of these cards were on vacation," the deputy mayor continued.

In any case, a new director is being sought; the deputy mayro said this process will be preceded by an internal reflection on the part of the city administration on what kind of leader they may want for this subordinate institution.

The timeframe for the new appointment is not yet known and will follow analysis this month in tandem with dealing with the city's budget, Pere said. "From then on, in early autumn, we will be able to specify the profile of the director we will be looking for."

Pille Sõstra, current head of the city's general department, will be acting park director in the meantime.

In his opinion piece which appeared in Eesti Ekspress Saturday, Pere said the audit carried out last year revealed significant disarray in the management of Kadriorg Park.

Kadriorg Park lies east of the city center and in the district of the same name in an area.

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