The board of commissioners unanimously approved Raphael as director September 18 but with a salary of only $120,000, and some of the commissioners who had balked at the full amount weren’t happy with Linn’s solution. “I’ve never seen any settlement offer like this during my time at the county,” Serena Cruz said in the October 7 Portland Oregonian. “The offer circumvents the unanimous decision of the board.”
County chief financial officer Dave Boyer said this is the first time the fund has been tapped to make up for salary, but he didn’t think it would set a precedent. “We’ve set up the fund for cases just like this,” he said. “We’re trying to avoid higher liability.”
Raphael is expected to start in early December. “It is my desire to put the controversy surrounding her appointment behind us and give her a proper Multnomah County welcome so we can get down to the business of providing the excellent library services our community values,” Linn said.
Posted October 13, 2003.