EDITORIAL
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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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