Opinion: Dixon Needs a New Librarian

Dear Editor,

The librarian's contract expires June 1. When that happens, it will put an end to an absurd, grossly overpaid and dysfunctional management style of a supposed public servant.

When the librarian was hired eight years ago, he received an annual base salary of $56,040. Eight years later (2011), his base salary had risen almost 93 percent, which translates into an amazing $108,254. His total starting salary and benefits in 2003 was approximately $69,306. In eight years, his salary and benefits package has risen 126 percent and is now a whopping $156,513. His salary alone is more than 10 percent of the library's entire annual operating budget.

The librarian has had only one contract and it was for one year. It began June 1, 2003, and ended June 1, 2004. . There have been two amendments to the contract. The first came on July 21, 2003, and was for a base salary increase. The second was made on June 2, 2006, to extend his contract for another three years. On June 1, 2009, he received an automatic renewal, with no review, instead of renegotiating a new and fair contract in the public's best interest.

Because of these amendments and automatic renewals, for the past eight years there has never been any opportunity for public input.

The librarian is also pushing to build a new Dixon Library, at a estimated cost of $20 million. That's taxpayer dollars. This at a time when walk-in library traffic is on a steady decline (in part because of the increased use of technology) and funds have dried up everywhere.

When five employees spoke out against the new library idea, the district librarian made their life at work a living hell, according to their complaints heard by the Library Commission. One full-time employee retired and two full-time and one part-time employees resigned, all under duress. The fifth full-time employee who spoke out against the new library was disciplined for asking a question about a disability issue at the library. I have seen the reprimand he placed in her file. It has been there for more than a year, yet she has not had an opportunity to defend herself because he has blocked at every turn her attempts to have her day in court.

Speaking of disability issues, the district librarian was responsible for allowing the disability wheelchair lift to be "temporarily" out of order for more than four continuous months. He was also responsible for turning the only disability restroom into a combination janitor storage room and employees-only restroom. It took him more than 18 months to get the restroom fully accessible for the disabled. I believe it could have been corrected in a week.

There are still more than a dozen Civil Rights Code violations pending (and possible pending legal action) against the Dixon District Library regarding Americans with Disability Act violations. The ADA was signed into federal Law In 1990. The disability wheelchair lift and disability restroom were only fixed after numerous complaints were filed by members of the disabled community, including me.

There is not enough space to list all of the wrongs that the current Dixon District Librarian has incurred.

Let me recap: The Library District consists of one building. The librarian manages fewer than seven full-time employees. He has been the Dixon District librarian for eight years. His starting salary and benefits were $69,306. Now they are a whopping $156,513. That is an increase of 126 percent in eight years.

The public can no longer afford to have this dysfunctional management, disrespect and lack of concern toward the public, the library employees and the disabled community. It is time for the Dixon District librarian to turn in his library card and check himself out for the very last time.

I urge the Dixon Library Board of Trustees and the Library Commission to search for a person who has good, positive people skills, a positive management style and who serves the public instead of serving himself -- and for a lot less money.

- Byron Chapman, Dixon.