Mayor Moore likens library conflict to “seven-year itch”

QUINCY — Mayor Linda Moore told Muddy River News that the back and forth between the Quincy Public Library Board and its Executive Director is like a “seven-year itch”.

The mayor’s comments came during an exclusive interview with MRN ‘s “Minutes With the Mayor” podcast just three days after a special meeting where the QPL board decided to table a decision on Executive Director Kathleen Helsabeck’s future and kept her on administrative leave.

“Something little might happen, but it seems a lot bigger,” the mayor told MRN’s Ashley Conrad on the podcast. “And we’re at the seven-year point. On a lot of boards, you start thinking about different directions.”

“It appears to be a conflict between the library board and the executive director. There’s always some conflicts. That’s pretty typical. Many times, they can work through it.  It’s nobody’s fault. We have really good people on the board, a really good person as executive director. Let them work it out. We will know about it eventually, I’d say probably in the next 30 days.”

The mayor pointed out that while the city determines funding of the library, it is the QPL board that handles day-to-day operations and decisions. She emphasized that there is no correlation between the change in Helsabeck’s status and the recent appointment of two new QPL board members and the reappointment of President Jon Hoover.

Helsabeck has refused interviews about what was discussed behind closed doors with a legal representative of the board. She was appointed in October of 2018 and is credited with bringing back the Book Mobile with grants and donations after a more than 20-year absence.

Supporters spoke out during the public portion of this past weekend’s special meeting and speculated that the issues might involve the removal of items from the library’s collection. Public meeting minutes from July 16 indicate that Helsabeck told the board she had recovered some 1,300 of the items in question.

Two sources also tell MRN that there were concerns about Helsabeck’s relationship with the city and staff. Again, her advocates insist that Helsabeck has tried to work well with the city, the board, the public, and staff.

“Kathleen was told a top priority would be her relationship with the city,” former QPL Board member Angela Ketteman said during the public comment portion of the special meeting. “I believe she has worked tirelessly and has indeed made improvements. I found in speaking with her one-on-one, she was always willing to listen and eager to entertain suggestions and offers for assistance and improvement. I would ask the board to discuss your concerns with her and allow her to uphold the fine reputation this library has.”