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EDITORIAL

The initial casualty report is in. The Newport Beach Public Library

Foundation, which had its stellar reputation bruised late last year by

unfounded charges, has lost 350 members -- nearly one-third of its

troops. And the financial hit, both in the short and long term, caused by

the six-month public battle, is simple incalculable.

The saddest and most frustrating part of this story is who turned out

to be the villain: The library’s own board of trustees, led by Chairman

Jim Wood. The enemy within, indeed.

The trustees charged the foundation with financial mismanagement,

threatened to dissolve the group (though they had no power to do this),

and even tried to kick the foundation out of its small space in the

Central Library.

But an independent audit found no wrongdoing, and a June letter from

City Manager Homer Bludau and City Attorney Bob Burnham underscored the

point:

“[T]here is no wrongdoing on the part of the Foundation ... the

Foundation was and is in full compliance with accepted fiduciary and

audit standards applicable to nonprofit public benefit corporations.”

The foundation raises money for the library, and the trustees spend

it. The relationship has worked well over the years. The forerunner to

the current foundation raised more than $2 million for the new Central

Library, and the foundation, since 1994, has given the library more than

$1.1 million, in addition to socking away $1.5 million in an endowment

fund.

But this feel-good relationship unraveled last year. Why? Everyone

seems to have a different story. But from our vantage point, it boils

down to a trustee-inspired, ego-propelled battle for more control and

more power.

Too bad. The Central Library and its branches are one of Newport’s

most prized possessions. The well-run library system is as much a part of

Newport as the Balboa Island ferry. And the residents have similar

fondness for it.

The same goes for the foundation, a prestigious nonprofit that’s done

nothing but boost the quality of our libraries. The foundation and its

hundreds of volunteers deserve better than to have their name and

reputation dragged through the political mud, all because of some false

allegations generated by trustee envy.

The casualty list from this manufactured battle need not grow any

longer. Prediction: The foundation will bounce back quickly, and you can

help by becoming a supporter. Foundation officials should be heartened.

Reinforcements are on the way.

Foundation memberships begin at $50 a year. There are various levels

of membership. For more details, call (949) 717-3890.

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