Mpls. Salary Cap Stymies Search

The top two candidates for the job as Minneapolis Public Library (MPL) director have withdrawn from the search, the Library Board of Trustees announced. Saul Amdursky, director of the Kalamazoo Public Library, MI, and Norman Holman, senior VP and director of Capital Planning and Construction for the New York Public Library, both cited salary as the critical issue.

State law limits local government employees' salaries to 95 percent of the governor's salary, or a ceiling of $114,228. In August, the Legislative Coordinating Commission Subcommittee on Employee Relations recommended a maximum director's salary of $130,000, but the commissioner of the Department of Employee Relations lowered that exception to $120,000. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that the library board has discussed hiring the director as an independent consultant, which might allow for higher pay.

"We feel we are disadvantaged by the salary cap imposed by the state," said Anita Duckor, library board trustee and chair of the board's Personnel Committee. "It is difficult to compete in a national market where candidates can command much higher salaries."

The other two announced finalists were Ginnie Cooper, director of the Multnomah County Public Library, Portland, OR, and Norman Maas, former executive director of the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma County. Cooper withdrew from consideration as she was in negotiations to head the Brooklyn Public Library, NY (see News , p. 17).

MPL officials would not comment on Maas. "The Personnel Committee has not met but will convene on Wednesday, October 23," Duckor said, just before LJ went to press. "At this point we need as much flexibility as possible. Because of this, it is not appropriate to make any comments about any potential candidates at this time."

The library also must confront an expected $1.5 million shortfall that may lead to closing of branches and cuts in staff and hours. According to the Star-Tribune, library board members said their hands were tied when other city officials refused to submit a $140 million library bond issue to voters if it included money for operating expenses. The board is even considering closing all libraries for two weeks next year—a tactic recently employed by the Seattle Public Library (see News , LJ 11/1/01, p. 18ff.) but not embraced by most systems.