Indianapolis, Indiana – In a joint statement, sixteen members of the City-County Council ask the Indianapolis Public Library Board to promote former interim chief executive officer Nichelle Hayes to a permanent position.
This letter was written following a month of controversy regarding the board’s selection of Gabriel Morley, an out-of-state applicant, for the position.
He made the decision to decline the position one day after the vote.
Community residents quickly started criticizing the choice, arguing that Hayes’ established reputation in the area and his time serving in an interim position should have been important factors in the board’s choice. The library has maintained its naming policy since the outset.
The City-County Council members’ joint statement discusses the library’s vital role in the city’s educational and cultural life. According to the statement, councilors observed the growing anxiety and tension among the board, the union, and the public. It also claims that the search was costly and that the decision to restart it rather than appoint Hayes will have negative effects.
A motion that may have named Hayes was rejected by the board during a meeting on December 19 in front of a crowded room.
Closing out the statement, councilors said, “Unless there are issues of which we have not been made aware, we ask the Indianapolis Public Library board of directors to heed the calls of our community and appoint Ms. Nichelle Hayes as the Indianapolis Public Library CEO.”
