ProJo/Middletown Library Director Resigns

Providence Journal Bulletin, online, 01:00 AM EST on Friday, December 1, 2006

By Alex Kuffner

Journal Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — Robert L. Balliot, the embattled director of the Middletown Public Library, resigned last night during a lengthy meeting behind closed doors with the library’s board of directors.

Balliot, who had headed the library since 1999, left the meeting after the decision was made and walked out of the library without explanation, telling residents who had come to support him only that he had resigned.

Shortly afterward, when the board reconvened in public, its chairman, John Grisham, did little to shed any light on what was discussed during the nearly three-hour executive session that led to Balliot’s resignation. The board voted to seal the minutes of the meeting.

“The director has made the decision to tender his resignation,” Grisham said to jeers from the crowd of more than 50 people. “That is all we can say at this time.”

The decision brings an end to what had been an increasingly contentious relationship between Balliot and the board. The director had claimed for months that board members had been trying to fire him for political reasons. Most of the members have been replaced over the last two years by the Town Council, and Balliot contends that they are using their seats to advance a political agenda. Grisham has called the accusation groundless.

But two of his colleagues on the board seemed to acknowledge some culpability last night as the meeting took an odd turn. When the board moved to take up other matters on its agenda, board member Edward Wray interjected and asked to add one more item. He then stood up and called on all six board members to pass a motion that would submit their resignations to the Town Council. Peter Van Steeden seconded the motion.

“I applaud Ed’s idea,” he said. “I don’t know what it will accomplish. I don’t know if it will do anything but throw the library into further chaos.”

The motion was defeated in a 4-to-2 vote.

The meeting last night was scheduled after the board of trustees met in October to try to work out its differences with Balliot. But they continued the meeting and postponed a performance review for Balliot after a lawyer arrived and said he would represent the director and needed time to consult with him.

The conflict with the board, according to Balliot, dates to December 2004, when he supplied Middletown First, a local anti-sprawl advocacy group, with documentation about a Zoning Board meeting in which developers were granted a variance to build a 55-room hotel in an area on Aquidneck Avenue zoned for only 23 units.

Middletown First subsequently posted the information on its Web site, which is linked to the public library’s home page. Council liaison Edward Silveira and board members raised questions about the propriety of providing the link. Grisham said it could be seen as possibly promoting a political agenda.

In March 2005, the board moved the link to the “nongovernmental resources” section, where it remains today.

But Balliot says the board has been intent on firing him since then. At a meeting in September, the board considered putting the director on probation for six months, but instead both sides agreed to return with written recommendations to repair their relationship.

At last month’s meeting, Balliot accused board members of failing to follow open-meetings laws, punishing him for providing the public access to information, and hiring an attorney with unappropriated funds. He listed a host of remedies to rectify their alleged missteps.

In a 5-to-0 vote, with one member abstaining, the board voted to study laws related to open meetings, conflicts of interest and public records.

Last night, while the board was in executive session, the audience, which included a representative of the American Library Association and the president of the Rhode Island Library Association, said the board was willfully stifling intellectual freedom.

When the board came back into the room, audience members openly circulated a petition in support of Balliot and another that called for the board to be replaced.

“We have fences to mend with the community,” Grisham said at one point.

Then, when one man asked to speak, Grisham told him that the board would not hear public comment.

“The director has made the decision to tender his resignation. That is all we can say at this time.”


	Library director Balliot resigns Providence Journal Bulletin, online, 01:00 AM EST on Friday, December 1, 2006 By Alex Kuffner Journal Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — Robert L. Balliot, the embattled director of the Middletown Public Library, resigned last night during a lengthy meeting behind closed doors with the library’s board of directors. Balliot, who had headed the library since 1999, left the meeting after the decision was made and walked out of the library without explanation, telling residents who had come to support him only that he had resigned. Shortly afterward, when the board reconvened in public, its chairman, John Grisham, did little to shed any light on what was discussed during the nearly three-hour executive session that led to Balliot’s resignation. The board voted to seal the minutes of the meeting. “The director has made the decision to tender his resignation,” Grisham said to jeers from the crowd of more than 50 people. “That is all we can say at this time.” The decision brings an end to what had been an increasingly contentious relationship between Balliot and the board. The director had claimed for months that board members had been trying to fire him for political reasons. Most of the members have been replaced over the last two years by the Town Council, and Balliot contends that they are using their seats to advance a political agenda. Grisham has called the accusation groundless. But two of his colleagues on the board seemed to acknowledge some culpability last night as the meeting took an odd turn. When the board moved to take up other matters on its agenda, board member Edward Wray interjected and asked to add one more item. He then stood up and called on all six board members to pass a motion that would submit their resignations to the Town Council. Peter Van Steeden seconded the motion. “I applaud Ed’s idea,” he said. “I don’t know what it will accomplish. I don’t know if it will do anything but throw the library into further chaos.” The motion was defeated in a 4-to-2 vote. The meeting last night was scheduled after the board of trustees met in October to try to work out its differences with Balliot. But they continued the meeting and postponed a performance review for Balliot after a lawyer arrived and said he would represent the director and needed time to consult with him. The conflict with the board, according to Balliot, dates to December 2004, when he supplied Middletown First, a local anti-sprawl advocacy group, with documentation about a Zoning Board meeting in which developers were granted a variance to build a 55-room hotel in an area on Aquidneck Avenue zoned for only 23 units. Middletown First subsequently posted the information on its Web site, which is linked to the public library’s home page. Council liaison Edward Silveira and board members raised questions about the propriety of providing the link. Grisham said it could be seen as possibly promoting a political agenda. In March 2005, the board moved the link to the “nongovernmental resources” section, where it remains today. But Balliot says the board has been intent on firing him since then. At a meeting in September, the board considered putting the director on probation for six months, but instead both sides agreed to return with written recommendations to repair their relationship. At last month’s meeting, Balliot accused board members of failing to follow open-meetings laws, punishing him for providing the public access to information, and hiring an attorney with unappropriated funds. He listed a host of remedies to rectify their alleged missteps. In a 5-to-0 vote, with one member abstaining, the board voted to study laws related to open meetings, conflicts of interest and public records. Last night, while the board was in executive session, the audience, which included a representative of the American Library Association and the president of the Rhode Island Library Association, said the board was willfully stifling intellectual freedom. When the board came back into the room, audience members openly circulated a petition in support of Balliot and another that called for the board to be replaced. “We have fences to mend with the community,” Grisham said at one point. Then, when one man asked to speak, Grisham told him that the board would not hear public comment. “The director has made the decision to tender his resignation. That is all we can say at this time.”