In a marathon four-hour January 23 meeting, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District board unanimously voted to give Director Darrell Batson paid "administrative leave" while they worked out a package terminating his embattled four-year leadership. Barb Carey, administrator of the Whitney Branch Library, told American Libraries that board Chairwoman Gloria Sturman has named Regional Library Administrator Monteria Hightower acting director until an interim director can be chosen.
The board also agreed to recognize Teamsters Union Local 14 as the bargaining agent for the huge district's 267 full-time library employees within four job classifications, including nonsupervisory staff, supervisor I, supervisor II, and managers, the Las Vegas Sun reported January 23. Complaints of favoritism at the top and micromanagement by the board had prompted the staff to seek union representation in early December.
Posted February 9, 1998.