Quorum Court OKs severance pay for library system director

VAN BUREN — The director of the Crawford County Library System is set to leave her position at the end of the week with controversy still ongoing regarding books at the libraries.

The Crawford County Quorum Court approved an ordinance providing Deidre Grzymala $40,688 in severance at its meeting Tuesday. The money includes Grzymala’s personal and sick time payment. The county is also directed to continue paying her health and dental benefit premiums through Sept. 1, according to the ordinance.

Gentry Wahlmeier, an attorney representing the county, said he and an attorney representing Grzymala negotiated the terms for her “voluntary resignation.” However, he declined to provide details on the circumstances surrounding it due to the separation agreement between Grzymala and the county, county library system and Van Buren Public Library.

“What the county is getting out of this is a mitigation of risk, which is part of our strategy as a whole for the county,” Wahlmeier said.

The agreement Grzymala signed, which Wahlmeier provided, outlines the severance pay the Quorum Court approved Tuesday. It states Friday will be Grzymala’s last day in her position and that she will not sue the county or the library system based on any events in connection with her employment with the system or the termination of said employment.

The agreement also states Grzymala, the county and library system will not “criticize, denigrate or disparage” one another. This means none of them will make any comments to the media or any other person if it could negatively impact the conduct of the governance of the county or library system or any of their plans or reputation. Grzymala is obligated to keep her “close acquaintances” from disparaging the county and library system as well, with her set to receive a written positive reference from the system.

This all comes as the River Valley City Elders, a local Christian community organization, has been campaigning against the inclusion and public display of children’s books with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning themes at the Van Buren Public Library, according to an Arkansas Times article published Monday.

The River Valley City Elders requested people in a Dec. 13 newsletter available through its Facebook page to attend the Quorum Court’s Dec. 19 meeting to stand with Jeffrey Hamby as he spoke on this issue during the public comment period. Hamby had co-written a letter addressed to the Quorum Court, then-Crawford County Judge Dennis Gilstrap and current County Judge Chris Keith on the matter that was dated Nov. 10.

“The library director and staff have chosen and stocked the library with radical sexual ideological picture books which run the danger of premature sexualization of prepubescent children,” the newsletter states.

Tammi Hamby, chairwoman of the county library system board, proposed during a Jan. 10 board meeting that the board review the purchase and donation of all library books, according to the Arkansas Times article. The board tabled Hamby’s proposal for discussion at its next meeting March 14.

Grzymala had told Talk Business and Politics in a Dec. 20 article that the books had been relocated to their own section at each library in the library system. A Jan. 18 article from the same news outlet identified Jeffrey and Tammi Hamby as husband and wife, with Tammi co-writing her spouse’s Nov. 10 letter to the county.

The books in question and their place in the library system are continuing to attract controversy, with more than a dozen county residents weighing in on the subject during Tuesday’s Quorum Court meeting.

Grzymala began working as the library system director July 5, according to the Crawford County Clerk’s Office.

The Crawford County Library System website also lists Grzymala as director of the Van Buren Public Library.

Wahlmeier said the library system board will fill Grzymala’s position as system director. The county judge selects who gets to serve on the board itself as vacancies occur based on recommendation from either the community or the previous board.

Wahlmeier noted that four out of the five members of the library system board resigned in December, with others taking their place afterward.