Newport Beach PL Resolves Spat
between Board and Foundation
An acrimonious fight between the Newport Beach (Calif.) Public Library’s board of trustees and its fundraising foundation was resolved the first week of April with apparent amity on both sides. The argument over control of the foundation’s financial practices had raged since October 1999, reaching a climax in January when the board threatened to expel the foundation from its offices in the library.
Now, however, the foundation and the board have nothing but praise for one another. After both groups signed a memo firmly outlining each side’s responsibilities and jurisdiction, Trustee Patrick Bartolic said the document helped eliminate “confusion on who’s doing what, and when, and why.” Foundation Administrative Director Tracy Keys called the détente “a result of having so many meetings and getting together and having so many conversations about how we can work together as a team,” according to the April 11 Los Angeles Times.
The two sides now attribute the original dispute to inadequate communication and understanding between the bodies. A recent audit and new legal documentation of each group’s duties seem to have cleared the air and given the board and foundation an opportunity to set aside their conflicts.
Posted April 17, 2000.
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