Library Governance

Commissioner Lumon May Vows to Force Library Board Vote

Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May said Thursday morning he will put the West Florida Public Libraries’ Board of Governance (BOG) on a commission agenda himself if County Administrator Wes Moreno doesn’t.

• May made the pledge after four speakers at the Board of County Commissioners public forum asked the commissioners to end Moreno’s control over when the BOG meets and who joins it.

No vote was taken. Forum comments don’t require a commission response, but the exchange that followed was the first time in months that commissioners have discussed the library board on the record.

What May Promised

• The agenda item. May told the audience to send him names for the two vacant seats and said he would put the matter on the next agenda “to be voted up or down.” He said he would add it that day if needed.
• The frustration. May called the library situation a “debacle” that has “embarrassed many of us” and said he is “quite frankly sick of it.”
• The limit. He noted he is only one vote and needs a second to place an item on the agenda.

“If Wes doesn’t put it on the agenda, I’m telling you, Madam Chair, I want it on the agenda, and I’m going to put it on the agenda, and we’re going to vote it up or we’re going to vote it down.”—Commissioner May

What isn’t clear. Former BOG Chair Lori Nesmith asked what, specifically, would be on the agenda: filling the two seats or getting the board back in operation. May said he supports a “functioning board” and putting members back on it, but no one defined the item or set a date.

Moreno’s Response

Applicants. Moreno said he received two more applicants by email the day before and that “we’re vetting them.” He added, “I say we, not just myself alone.”

• My Monday post noted the application period closed in January and hadn’t been reopened. Moreno didn’t say whether the new applicants responded to that post, but I also received copies of their applications.

Interim director. When a citizen told the commission the county website lists no interim library director, May asked for the name on the record. Moreno said, “Her name is Rachel, and she’s sitting right back there.” He did not give a last name.

• Note: The WFPL website lists Rachel Nicholas-Kahalley as deputy director. Maybe Moreno doesn’t know her last name.

Library usage. Moreno said the system had a record-breaking summer in foot traffic, events and meals served, and that it “is functioning and it’s functioning well.” He then set the board aside: “Now the board of governance, maybe that’s a different issue.”

• Note: The record-breaking summer is a testament to the system put together by the Board of Governance and former Library director Todd Humble over the past decade and the public demand for the West Florida Public Libraries system, not Moreno’s leadership.

What he didn’t address. Moreno did not explain why he canceled the BOG’s meetings or on what authority. He did not respond to the special-meeting requests from BOG Chair Dr. Blaine Wall. No commissioner asked him to, and no one said the Sept. 28 meeting would be restored.

Commissioners Split on What the Board Is

Commissioner Steve Stroberger: “Advisory.” Commissioner Steve Stroberger told Nesmith the BOG advises and Moreno decides. He said he supports the board meeting again but defended the administrator.

Commissioner Steven Barry: “No harm in having the meetings.” Barry, who voted to create the board in 2013, said he views it as advisory. He said some of its powers come from bylaws the board wrote for itself, and that the director’s hiring belongs to the administrator. He pointed to library foot traffic and staff feedback as the best measure of how the system is doing.

Commissioner May: Fix it. May agreed the commission shouldn’t be involved in hiring and firing. He also said the county can’t leave the board without members for this long. At one point he asked whether the county could “just give the library back to the city.” Barry reminded him that the city asked for the arrangement because it couldn’t afford the needed improvements.

Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger was a vocal supporter of Christal Bell-Rivera, who resigned as library director after only holding the position for less than six months. Hofberger, who faces an election in November, didn’t voice any opinion on the BOG.

The county attorney’s account. May asked County Attorney Alison Rogers to explain the difference between an advisory board and a governance board. Rogers described the 2012-13 structure as the deal that brought the City of Pensacola into the library MSTU, which still funds the system, in exchange for two seats on the five-member BOG.

• She said the BOG “did go on to act like a governing body” and holds “significant authority” under the interlocal agreement and its bylaws.
• She also said nothing legally obligates the commission to keep that structure. Whether to keep it is the commission’s decision, she said, though changing it would require a conversation with the city about the MSTU.

Nesmith’s rebuttal. Nesmith said the 2013 resolution created a governance board, not an advisory one, and urged commissioners to rewatch their own meeting from that year. She noted commissioners then discussed paying the volunteers because the workload was heavy.

BCC Meeting 1/22/13: Interim County Administrator George Touart: “The Governance Board will be the authoritative board.”

Kohler: Present the Board or Let It Go

Commissioner Mike Kohler was the only commissioner to say the board could go away. He said he has no problem with the board and has never attended a meeting, but is open to dissolving it if it isn’t functional. He cited the Human Relations Commission board as a precedent, a comment that drew a sharp aside from May.

“What I’ve told the county administrator is I want to have either the board presented to us or the board go away.”

Kohler said the turnout in the room told him the board has value, and that he should support it.

What Residents Asked For

• Linda asked commissioners to direct Moreno to give them the names of all applicants, since appointments belong to the commission, and to stop canceling the monthly meetings. She also asked him to meet with the BOG about interim leadership. She noted the board can’t meet its bylaw duties, including submitting an annual budget to the commission and reviewing its bylaws and library policies.
• Jennifer Yannuzzi said the board has been asking to meet, not canceling. She told commissioners the choice isn’t “a vote up or down for the board.” She asked them to hold Moreno responsible for holding the meetings.
• Nesmith said the two seats the commission is responsible for filling have sat empty. She asked each commissioner to say on the record whether the board is still viable. She asked why they are letting “one person” undo what they set up in 2013.
• Sarah said the county administrator has taken on duties that belong to the commission, including choosing BOG members, and has ignored the board’s required meeting process under Resolution R2013-17. She asked how the commission can put it back on track.

Have a name to suggest for the BOG? Commissioners appoint the seats. Email your commissioner and cc me at rick@inweekly.net. May said he would take recommendations at district3@myescambia.com.

Background: Moreno Keeps Library Governance in Limbo.