Fontana Regional Library begins search for new director
The Feb. 9 Fontana Regional Library Board meeting was Director Tracy Fitzmaurice’s last.
Kyle Perrotti photo
A week and a half after Fontana Regional Library Director Tracy Fitzmaurice tendered her resignation, the board is moving forward to find a replacement.
At a specially called Feb. 9 meeting at the Jackson County Library’s community room, the board went into a closed session to discuss details.
Prior to going into the closed session, board members talked about another crucial issue facing the system — securing legal counsel. At last month’s board meeting, it was discussed that after several months without an attorney, Julia Hooten from Asheville’s Teague Campbell law firm had signed a contract but abruptly canceled it and refunded the retainer after she received a phone call from a “board member” raising a potential conflict-of-interest concern. It hasn’t been publicly disclosed who reached out to Hooten; board members all denied making the call.
Board Chair Bill McGaha of Macon County said during the Feb. 9 meeting that he’d tried to call Hooten back to see if he could change her mind, but she didn’t return his call. The board approved a measure, 5-2, to form a committee to search for an attorney, with Cynthia Womble and Tony Monnat of Swain County voting against the majority. That committee will be made up of Monnat, Kathy Smith of Macon County and Lori Richards of Jackson County.
Only about 15 minutes after the meeting began, board members entered a closed session to discuss specifics they needed to nail down in their search. After 50 minutes, they returned to vote on what they had discussed.
First, they formed a new director search committee for director made up of Kathy Smith, Monnat and McGaha. Next, they approved the salary range for a new director at $65,000 to $90,000. Finally, they voted to post the job announcement online. Each measure was approved unanimously.
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If a director isn’t named within 30 days of the effective date of resignation — Feb. 26 — then an interim director must be hired.
The meeting was the last for Fitzmaurice, who has been with the system since 1991 and was named director in January 2023. Over the last year, she has been a target of scrutiny by those critical of the library system, including some FRL trustees and county library advisory board members.
To close out the meeting, Womble, the longest serving board member and former chair, thanked Fitzmaurice for her commitment to the system and the difference she’s made in the community.
“I wish we could do more,”Womble said. “I wish I could give you the moon, but I can’t.”
