Okay, so you missed the Board of Supervisors' Meeting on Friday. Do you want to know what happened? This is hilarious...
Remember how we found out there really isn't a Board of Directors for the R. C. Irwin Library? And if our Board of Supervisors wanted to appoint somebody to this Advisory Board of Trustees they would have to first create an Advisory Board of Trustees? And so far they haven't chosen to create an Advisory Board of Trustees for the R. C. Irwin Library? Well, this same group of people who used to call themselves the Board of Directors of the R. C. Irwin Library are now calling themselves the Advisory Board of Trustees for the R. C. Irwin Library. And you know what else? Billy Pegram, Paul Battle and Bobby Williams all sat there and didn't say a word. Of course, the person representing this Advisory Board of Trustees is Billy Pegram's daughter.
Oh, Cedric Burnett wasn't there and James Dunn came in after Catherine Nathan, the Director of the First Regional Library introduced Lynn Ryals as a member of the Advisory Board of the R. C. Irwin Library.
The financial request from Tunica County to the Regional Library for 2011-2012 is $294,720. Last year there was an attempt to start a satellite at the Robinsonville Elementary School and this was not included in the request this time because the library says there were only 410 people who used the satellite and they (the library) didn't think Tunica County would want to spend money again for this same service.
Mr. Dunn asked the County Administrator if Ms. Nathan had talked with him about the satellite and the County Administrator said no.
So, let's see. We gave the First Regional Library...I think it was about $35,000...extra dollars last year to operate the satellite at Robinsonville Elementary. And there was no conversation between the County Administrator and Ms. Nathan about this operation until they showed up to ask for more money for next year?
Maybe they could have had a conversation about...let's see...the Book Wagon may be a better choice for Tunica County? First Regional Library does have a Book Wagon. How come it wasn't offered to Tunica County? I think Ms. Nathan owes Tunica County an explanation.
And how come Billy Pegram, Paul Battle and Bobby Williams sat there and didn't ask one question? And we still don't have an African American on the R. C. Irwin Advisory Board of Trustees because the Tunica County Board of Supervisors hasn't created it yet.
Why do these people spend so much time and money playing these games instead of doing the right thing? There was a problem. The problem was identified. Fix it. Don't cover it up. It makes you look silly.
Showing posts with label Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Library. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Important Board of Supervisors Meeting Coming Up
That's this Fri, 29 Jul at 9a. Think you can get off work and make the meeting? Oh, sorry. Wish the meeting was in the evening so you could come.
Well, I understand that one of the items on the agenda is a request by the Regional Library for funding for the upcoming year. Don't know what the request will be for but typically the funding has run between $300,000 and $350,000.
I do want the Supervisors to include the Library funding in the upcoming budget. I also want them to take control of our investment by creating and appointing an Advisory Board of Trustees for the R. C. Irwin Library. This would be the ideal.
This is the story...have written about this before...this subject needs repeating.
Last fall, I, and a few others on the Transparency Committee went to the Board of Supervisors with the intention of asking them to appoint an African American to the Board of Directors of our local library.
Boy, did we open a can of worms! First, the Board of Supervisors discovered they hadn't appointed a Board of Directors for the R. C. Irwin Library.
So, we did a little research and found that when our local library went into the Regional Library System, we could no longer have a Board of Directors. Under the Regional Library System there is a Board of Trustees. Each county appoints one person to the Board of Trustees and our Board of Supervisors had already done that. The Board of Trustees is on the Regional Level.
Now on the local level, our Board of Supervisors can choose to create an Advisory Board of Trustees. And the Board of Supervisors hasn't chosen to do this yet.
So what's the problem? There is a group of people in Tunica who think they are the Board of Directors of the R. C. Irwin Library and apparently they have been passing these memberships on this Board of Directors down through their family and friends.
When I realized this, I was shocked. I never in a million years thought people did things like this anymore. This kind of thing was done back in the day but not anymore.
At this point, I don't care if the Board of Supervisors chooses to create this Advisory Board of Trustees or not. I don't even care if they create an Advisory Board of Trustees and appoint the same people who think they are the Board of Directors of the R. C. Irwin Library now. Although, I would hope that under this scenario each Supervisor would be allowed to appoint one of his constituents to the Advisory Board of Trustees. But that's dreaming.
This is what I do care about. I care about the truth.
You see several months ago, there was a program at the library...a reception and meeting with the author of "The Fall of the House of Zeus". It was really a nice event. During the refreshment set-up there were some ladies talking about me in the hallway. You see, I was teaching my Needle Arts Class in the room right next to where they were standing and I could hear every word they were saying. The discussion was centered around why I thought an African American should be appointed to the "Board of Directors" of the library. One lady said: "Oh, she's just saying that because it's an election year."
No, I'm not. I'm saying it because it is the right thing to do. And that's the truth.
Well, I understand that one of the items on the agenda is a request by the Regional Library for funding for the upcoming year. Don't know what the request will be for but typically the funding has run between $300,000 and $350,000.
I do want the Supervisors to include the Library funding in the upcoming budget. I also want them to take control of our investment by creating and appointing an Advisory Board of Trustees for the R. C. Irwin Library. This would be the ideal.
This is the story...have written about this before...this subject needs repeating.
Last fall, I, and a few others on the Transparency Committee went to the Board of Supervisors with the intention of asking them to appoint an African American to the Board of Directors of our local library.
Boy, did we open a can of worms! First, the Board of Supervisors discovered they hadn't appointed a Board of Directors for the R. C. Irwin Library.
So, we did a little research and found that when our local library went into the Regional Library System, we could no longer have a Board of Directors. Under the Regional Library System there is a Board of Trustees. Each county appoints one person to the Board of Trustees and our Board of Supervisors had already done that. The Board of Trustees is on the Regional Level.
Now on the local level, our Board of Supervisors can choose to create an Advisory Board of Trustees. And the Board of Supervisors hasn't chosen to do this yet.
So what's the problem? There is a group of people in Tunica who think they are the Board of Directors of the R. C. Irwin Library and apparently they have been passing these memberships on this Board of Directors down through their family and friends.
When I realized this, I was shocked. I never in a million years thought people did things like this anymore. This kind of thing was done back in the day but not anymore.
At this point, I don't care if the Board of Supervisors chooses to create this Advisory Board of Trustees or not. I don't even care if they create an Advisory Board of Trustees and appoint the same people who think they are the Board of Directors of the R. C. Irwin Library now. Although, I would hope that under this scenario each Supervisor would be allowed to appoint one of his constituents to the Advisory Board of Trustees. But that's dreaming.
This is what I do care about. I care about the truth.
You see several months ago, there was a program at the library...a reception and meeting with the author of "The Fall of the House of Zeus". It was really a nice event. During the refreshment set-up there were some ladies talking about me in the hallway. You see, I was teaching my Needle Arts Class in the room right next to where they were standing and I could hear every word they were saying. The discussion was centered around why I thought an African American should be appointed to the "Board of Directors" of the library. One lady said: "Oh, she's just saying that because it's an election year."
No, I'm not. I'm saying it because it is the right thing to do. And that's the truth.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
R. C. Irwin Library
At the 15 Sep 2010 Tunica County Board of Supervisors' Meeting, Mrs. Sowers and I asked several Supervisors who appointed the local library Board of Directors. The purpose of our inquiry was to find out why there was not an African American on this Board. (Tunica County, MS is 73% African American.)
What we found was that the R. C. Irwin Library Board of Directors was not on the list of board appointments made by the Tunica County Board of Supervisors.
The Transparency Committee has been busy researching this situation. What we've learned since 15 Sep 2010 is the following:
1. Once a local library joins the Regional Library System, we no longer have a local Board of Directors.
2. When the R. C. Irwin Library became a part of the First Regional Library system, the Tunica County Board of Supervisors were to appoint one person to the First Regional Library Board of Trustees. At present, Tunica County's Board of Supervisors has appointed Laura Ann Ryals Evans as our representative.
3. The Board of Supervisors also has the option of appointing an Advisory Board of Trustees to serve on the local level. As of 28 Feb 2011, the Tunica County Board of Supervisors has chosen not to appoint an Advisory Board of Trustees to serve at the local level.
So, what's this all about? Well, it's about this. Remember when we talked about the local library's Board of Directors before we became a part of the Regional System? They think they are still incharge of our library. Not only that, they have been appointing their friends and relatives to replace them when they either passed on or were tired of serving.
Just recently, I received an email from the President of the Friends of the R. C. Irwin Library. Within this email was a notice that she had authorized the purchase of a funeral arrangement for a member of the Board of Directors whose husband had passed away. I don't object to spending money from any organization to help another person for whatever reason. It's just that the R. C. Irwin Library does not have a local Board of Directors.
This is all so rinky dink.
What we found was that the R. C. Irwin Library Board of Directors was not on the list of board appointments made by the Tunica County Board of Supervisors.
The Transparency Committee has been busy researching this situation. What we've learned since 15 Sep 2010 is the following:
1. Once a local library joins the Regional Library System, we no longer have a local Board of Directors.
2. When the R. C. Irwin Library became a part of the First Regional Library system, the Tunica County Board of Supervisors were to appoint one person to the First Regional Library Board of Trustees. At present, Tunica County's Board of Supervisors has appointed Laura Ann Ryals Evans as our representative.
3. The Board of Supervisors also has the option of appointing an Advisory Board of Trustees to serve on the local level. As of 28 Feb 2011, the Tunica County Board of Supervisors has chosen not to appoint an Advisory Board of Trustees to serve at the local level.
So, what's this all about? Well, it's about this. Remember when we talked about the local library's Board of Directors before we became a part of the Regional System? They think they are still incharge of our library. Not only that, they have been appointing their friends and relatives to replace them when they either passed on or were tired of serving.
Just recently, I received an email from the President of the Friends of the R. C. Irwin Library. Within this email was a notice that she had authorized the purchase of a funeral arrangement for a member of the Board of Directors whose husband had passed away. I don't object to spending money from any organization to help another person for whatever reason. It's just that the R. C. Irwin Library does not have a local Board of Directors.
This is all so rinky dink.
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