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Residents and council raise transparency concerns over library board resignation and mayoral appointment
Summary
Council members and members of the public said they received notice of Jeanette Lloyd’s resignation and the mayor’s appointment of a replacement only shortly before the Dec. 9 meeting, and urged clearer communication; borough staff said an incorrect email address and timing explain the late notice and the council acknowledged the appointment.
During general business on Dec. 9, council members and public commenters raised concerns about the timing and communication of a library-board resignation and a mayoral appointment.
Several speakers said they first learned of trustee Jeanette Lloyd’s resignation (dated Dec. 5) only on the day of the meeting and expressed frustration that the library board president received notice less than two hours before the council meeting. ‘‘For four days after the resignation came in … there was a huge lack of communication,’’ one council member said, asking that future notifications include the name of the person filling a listed salary title when an appointment affects the board.
A member of the public, Deb Whitcraft, told the council she had a copy of an emailed resignation dated Dec. 5 and asked why the governing body learned of it so late. ‘‘I can understand [council members’] concern about the lack of transparency and the failure to communicate important matters like notice of resignation,’’ she said.
Borough staff and the mayor explained the late distribution: the resignation was sent to an incorrect email address, and once the mayor submitted the appointment it was transmitted to the council that day. Staff noted that the appointment is a mayoral prerogative and the resolution before the council was an acknowledgment rather than a unilateral appointment by council.
Council ultimately acknowledged and approved the mayor’s appointment that evening, while several members requested better procedures going forward — including more lead time on appointment/resignation notices and clearer identification of which salary titles are filled and which are vacant in the annual salary resolution.
The council tabled discussion of the salary resolution (Resolution 219) to provide time to show which positions are filled and to add a column listing incumbents or ‘‘vacant’’ where appropriate.
