Taylor council postpones library reappointment after questions about attendance

The Taylor City Council on a voice vote postponed consideration of the reappointment of Sheila Gorski Scholte to the Taylor Library Board until the council's next meeting on Dec. 16 after several members raised concerns about her attendance.

Mayor Wooley had nominated Scholte for a five-year term to expire Dec. 2, 2030. Councilmember Dan Wallace said a library board member told him Scholte had failed to attend multiple quarterly meetings and highlighted that the board approved a $75,000 expenditure at a meeting Scholte did not attend. "She did not attend to participate in a fairly significant expenditure," Wallace said, arguing the council should consider appointing someone "who is showing a little bit more interest in their appointment."

Mayor Wooley and other council supporters said the mayor had confidence in the nominee and that missed meetings did not, on their face, disqualify an appointee. "I think the mayor has confidence in this person, and we should recognize that he has confidence in this person," one council supporter said. The mayor also said he had not been contacted by the board members who raised concerns and invited further discussion.

After a motion to postpone was moved and seconded, the council voted to defer the reappointment to the Dec. 16 meeting to allow staff and council to gather additional information about Scholte's attendance and participation on the library board. The motion to postpone was made on the record and approved by the council.

At the prior agenda item the council had split item 5.4 into parts a and b so each nominee could be considered separately; the council approved Lori Slattery's separate reappointment to the library board earlier in the meeting.

Next steps: the council will revisit Scholte's reappointment at its Dec. 16 meeting after the maker and seconder of the original motion agreed to a date-certain postponement.