Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 2, 1993 TAG: 9304020299
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
LIBRARY DIRECTOR FILES SUIT, IS FIRED
The director of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library filed suit against the library board Tuesday.The board fired her Wednesday night.
Carol Veitch had filed a "petition for appeal" in Montgomery County Circuit Court saying the board had placed her on probation and had not allowed her to file a grievance.
Veitch had been the library's director for two years. She declined comment on her firing and referred questions to her attorney, Raphael B. Hartley III of Blacksburg.
Hartley said he would talk with Veitch soon about what state or federal employment actions to file in response to her firing. Veitch was not informed until Wednesday that her firing would be discussed at the library board's Wednesday meeting, Hartley said.
Veitch's suit says she never has been told fully why the board was unhappy with her.
"The biggest complaint all along is we really don't know where they're coming from," Hartley said.
In the suit, Veitch says she believes part of the board's concern with her is related to her management style, which is totally opposite of the library's former director. Veitch believes some senior members of the library staff are having problems adjusting, the suit says.
The board placed Veitch on probation on Feb. 10, pending completion of her performance review and a decision about her future status, the suit says.
In a March 15 letter to the board, Veitch asked that the probation be considered under the county's grievance procedure. The board responded by letter on March 23, refusing to discuss the matter with Veitch, the suit says.
In a response filed to Veitch's appeal Wednesday by Montgomery County Attorney Roy Thorpe, the board argues that Veitch's appeal is barred by law because it was not filed within a required five working days of the board's decision not to allow Veitch's grievance.
Veitch, 44, was hired as the library's director in March 1991 from a list of 20 applicants and assumed her duties on May 6 of that year. She succeeded Kathryn I. Martens, who resigned in November 1990 after 10 years on the job.
Her hiring followed what Library Board Chairman Darrel Clowes called a "rather thorough search."
Veitch had headed the Onslow County, N.C., Public Library System since 1986. She holds a doctorate in library science and taught in Kentucky and North Carolina. Veitch has written books and articles on children's literature.
Following are the facts in Veitch's case, according to her court filing:
The library board's personnel committee held a closed meeting on Jan. 15 at the Shoney's Restaurant in Christiansburg. Veitch, who normally attended the committee's meetings, was told her presence would not be required.
At the board's regular meeting on Jan. 20, the board went behind closed doors and Veitch was not invited. A board member told her that the meeting concerned some problems with her administration.
The board met again on Jan. 26 and Veitch again wasn't invited.
At a personnel committee meeting on Feb. 3, Veitch was given some of the specifics of the board's concerns. She responded that the process used to evaluate her was flawed because she wasn't asked to participate.
On Feb. 12, Veitch received a letter from Board Chairman Clowes informing her that she had been placed on probation until the board completed her evaluation sometime before May 1.
Veitch argues that she is covered by the board's grievance procedure. She says she cannot adequately defend herself in court because the board has not fully informed her about the board's concerns about her.
Veitch said the board's actions will hurt her reputation and standing in her field.
"There are few regional director positions and word travels fast," the suit says.
The appeal asks that the court name a commissioner to investigate and report to the court on facts of the case, whether time limits in the law and the board's personnel policy were met, whether Veitch has a grievance under the board's personnel policy, and whether the board could legally place Veitch on probation.
A representative of the Library Board could not be reached for comment.