How many of you know what is happening at our public library? Library Director Kimberly Litland has made a series of bad decisions, starting with the recommendation of the purchase of a house in the Hollywood section of Brookfield (approved by the board) and culminating in the firing of one of our library's most valuable employees - Cindy Moriarty (supported by the board). To date the library board has been unresponsive regarding the firing.
For those of you who know Ms. Moriarty, I do not need to tell you she was a vital part of the library. And for those of you that don't, Cindy Moriarty was director of Children's Services for the last few years and an employee of the library for over a decade.
Ms. Moriarty even received special thanks from the board at their August meeting for her summer programs. She made the library a place that our children wanted to visit. She instilled a love of reading through the many programs she provided and through the book recommendations she made. She started a chess program for young players and a bilingual story time.
But her contributions were much more than a series of programs. She greeted the children, from toddlers to teens, by name. She made them feel welcome, as if this was their library. She had that "Mary Poppins" quality that is hard to describe.
Ms. Moriarty's reward for all of her hard work and dedication to the children of our community and our library was a capricious firing at the hands of Kimberly Litland.
It is hard for those who know Ms. Moriarty to imagine the perceived offense that justified the actions of Kimberly Litland that day. There are many questions that those in the community want answered. Why was Ms. Moriarty fired? Does our library have a policy for terminating employees? Was that policy followed? If Ms. Litland did not follow that policy, are there any repercussions for her?
As citizens of the community, we should demand an investigation into the firing of Cindy Moriarty from the Brookfield Public Library. The callous disregard for the needs of the children of our community will not be forgotten.
For the library board members to do nothing and simply hope that the community forgets is unacceptable.
Jerome Barrido
Brookfield
| Next > |
|---|