Last March, the library terminated its executive director. While the reasons were difficult to understand, it is indisputable that an elected board should feel that their executive director is aligned with their vision.
We are many months into a hiring process, but no decision has yet been made. We are now six weeks from an election where four of the seats, a board majority, are up for election. The three-member search committee includes two trustees who are not seeking re-election.
It is time to take a pause. The new board needs to be able to select their own executive director. To do otherwise is to disrespect the democratic process. Regardless of who gets elected, the new board may prioritize one candidate over the other. It could be a matter of style or of values. But they are the ones who will need to have confidence in, and feel aligned with, the executive director.
Candidates for public-sector positions know that they need to be aligned with the board they serve. Any candidate worth their salt is unlikely to want to be hired by an outgoing board. It thus narrows the candidate pool. This narrowing is a further constriction on an already challenged hiring process due to the controversy surrounding the termination of the former director, a controversy that has reached national levels.
Regardless of where we stand in this process, it is time to take a pause and defer the selection to the new board.
Simone Boutet
Oak Park