Letter to the Editor: Timberland Board Meeting Was Out of Control

Posted

Timberland Regional Library board members and administration have expressed their perspectives of the explosive letter to the editor by a former TRL trustee regarding salary increases. I’ve read these accounts and watched the board meetings. I must agree with Commissioner Edna Fund that the lack of respect was appalling during the Dec. 16 session. 

As a former board member, I can attest to the lack of respect for board members because I witnessed it. In a committee meeting, a manager verbally attacked a trustee, going so far as to call her a liar. There was no intervention, and the executive director was at the meeting.  

The TRL Board of Trustees is a governing board, which means that trustees approve the budget, create policy and ensure all actions are aligned with TRL’s strategic vision. This is not consistent at TRL, so who’s at fault? The short answer is everyone.  

1. County commissioners need to evaluate the effectiveness of their appointed trustees. Some trustees neither have the time or the will to research issues prior to a vote.

2. The executive director is not consistent in acting as a resource for the board. She is the conduit of information which at times is selectively distributed.

3. Board members need to ask questions to fully understand the impact of their vote. This should not be punished by TRL staff or viewed as board overreach.



The only way to correct the flaws in the current structure must be addressed by the taxpayers who elect their county commissioners. 

 

Kathy Varney

Lacey