Gwinnett library board fires director

Gwinnett library board fires director

By DUANE D. STANFORD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/13/06

The Gwinnett County Library Board fired its executive director of 15 years Monday night, enraging a crowd of patrons who wanted her to keep her job.

Sparking cries of "Incompetent!" and "Fire the Board!" from the audience, three of the library board's five members voted to oust director Jo Ann Pinder without cause. The panel's majority also used a parliamentary procedure to block the board's only dissenting member, Brett Taylor, from speaking on the motion.

Phyllis Oxendine, who sponsored the motion, was joined by fellow board members Dale Todd and Margaret Tiller in the vote to fire Pinder. Board Chairman Lloyd Breck abstained but said prior to the vote that he would cast a tie-breaker, if necessary, in favor of the firing.

More than 100 library patrons, many of them wearing red to show support for Pinder, packed into a small conference room at the Five Forks Trickum library branch south of Lawrenceville to witness the vote. The board's decision set off an eruption of angry shouts.

"I hope y'all get fired in public like this!" one man yelled.

Police were brought into the meeting to keep order.

Pinder's attorney then escorted her out of the room as people gathered in the hallway cheered her and patted her on the back. Some wiped away tears.

As Pinder walked to her car, she said she was proud of her work at the library. "I'm just appreciative of all the support of the staff and the people," said Pinder.

She declined comment whether she was considering taking legal action.

"I'm going to go home," Pinder said.

Minutes before Pinder's firing, the board took public comment from about 21 citizens. Most of them spoke in favor of Pinder. Two men in the audience held up manila envelopes scrawled with the words, "Pinder Yes."