Berkeley City Council Resorts to 'Nuclear Option' ... In Library Board Drama
In what was referred to as Berkeley city council’s very own “nuclear option,” Mayor Jesse Arreguin and five other council members voted last week to unseat two Board of Library Trustees members, President Julie Holcomb and Vice-President Jim Novosel.
And, in case you think this is merely humdrum library politics, “there’s no precedent in the history of Berkeley of this happening,” according to Linda Maio, Berkeley’s longest-sitting Councilmember.
The vote was the apex of a two-year-long battle between the Board of Library Trustees — or BOLT, an independent public board that oversees all branches — and Berkeley’s Library staff.
Ultimately, Holcomb and Novosel were ousted, based on BOLT’s “failed management approach to employee relations,” according to Councilmember Kate Harrison.
Read more: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2017/04/12/berkeley-city-council-resorts-to-nuclear-option-in-library-board-drama
