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Resident urges Fargo library board to review director’s personnel file
Summary
A Fargo resident addressed the board with allegations about the library’s top administrator after reviewing personnel records obtained via open-records requests, saying HR had no records of follow-up; the board took the comment but did not vote or direct formal action at the meeting.
Christopher Cohen, a Fargo resident, used public comment at the board’s December meeting to press the Fargo Public Library Board to examine the personnel record of the library’s top administrator.
“I use an open records request to get his entire personnel record,” Cohen said, adding he reviewed documents dating to about 2009 and found three negative employee comments at the start of the administrator’s tenure and a concerning exit interview from a volunteer that he believes warranted HR follow-up. “I put in a request for that, and they had nothing. Nothing responsive to that,” he said, urging the board to review the records he obtained.
Cohen referenced broader concerns about how the city’s administration and human resources handle department heads and said problems sometimes go unaddressed until formal complaints or lawsuits arise. The board chair thanked him for his comments; no board member announced a formal investigation or made a motion in response during the meeting.
The public comment segment did not name the administrator referenced by Cohen in the transcript. The board did not take formal action on the matter during the session; any follow-up would require a future agenda item or a board request to city HR.
