Michigan Library Board Fires Director
In an emergency meeting March 21, Bay County (Mich.) Library trustees voted 4–1 to confirm the firing of Director Frederick J. Paffhausen by board chair Ella Jane Martini a day earlier.
Martini’s letter to Paffhausen, who had headed the system since August 2004, cited malfeasance of office, neglect of duty, violation of board policies and procedures, violation of personnel policies, and failure to perform job duties as reasons for the dismissal, according to the March 22 Bay City Times. Martini said that Paffhausen’s failure to attend a meeting the previous week was the final straw after months of poor communication.
However, trustee Howard J. Wetters, the only board member to object to the firing, accused Martini and vice chair James Davison of making a “wealth of accusations” without any clear evidence and warned that the action could result in a lawsuit against the system.
Tension among board members continued at a March 22 meeting about other library business matters, with Wetters criticizing the other trustees for their “ignorance” on several issues, the Times reported March 23. Wetters also recommended Martini consult an attorney before deciding to “blatantly violate the law” by calling for a closed meeting about an unrelated complaint filed against the system with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, which he said would violate the state’s open meetings act.
Davison said after the meeting he hoped the board’s bickering would end soon. “We have no control over one board member,” he said. “The rest of us, we’re going to be working to support this library and moving this library forward.”
American Libraries was unable to reach Paffhausen, Martini, or Wetters for comment.
Posted March 24, 2006.
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