I see the regional approach being better for SFMM than Knott's. Park Presidents tend to get their asses handed to them at SFMM. It's tough to maintain enthusiasm for a park where employees regularly call out or do the bare minimum. Whole areas need an overhaul but corporate won't allocate the budget. Plans are drawn up for things the park actually needs, only to be told no, we want another coaster in there, but you can only build gimmicks because the budget is always the same $10-15 million. And who then gets the blame when it doesn't yield an attendance boost?
This way corporate has no one to blame but themselves, so they're less likely to tolerate a subpar park presentation.