GILLETTE, Wyo. — Campbell County Human Resources Director Brandy Elder will take the position of interim director of the library, the board unanimously decided this afternoon.
Board member Sage Bear said she believes Elder would be a good fit since Elder said she has time for the position and is already familiar with the people.
Board member Darcie Lyon said that with upcoming salary evaluations, it would be helpful to have someone already familiar with the county.
Board chair Charles Butler said the board canvassed the other county boards and found that there wasn’t much interest from other county department directors, which isn’t surprising.
Lyon said that while there is controversy over the position that makes it challenging to fill, other department directors are also busy.
Some departments aren’t fully staffed currently, so directors can’t afford to also take on the role at the library, Butler said.
“With Brandy being HR, she knows pretty much everything that’s going on, and this gives us a time period so we can sit back and start looking at our evaluations on applications and everything as they come in and Brandy can take care of the day-to-day issues that may or may not be coming up at the library,” Butler said. “The library right now is doing a pretty good job of running themselves with all the managers on.”
Board member Chelsie Collier said she also understands that Elder also has some family who have worked in the library system, so she has some idea of how libraries work.
“That’s really powerful to bring to the table,” Collier said.
While motions by board members Darcie Lyon and Charlie Anderson to amend the agenda to allow time for public comment failed 2–3, the board took questions from attendees. Those questions included clarification on the role of the interim director, whether county commissioners needed to agree to Elder’s decision, what would happen if a personnel issue came up that presented a conflict of interest and an update on hiring for the full role.
Elder said she will be supporting staff through the hiring process, merit evaluations and anything else that helps the library keep running until a new director is hired. No policies will change until the new executive director comes aboard. Commissioners, who are her direct supervisors, approved of her decision as a personnel matter in an executive session. Staff can come to Elder if they have any concerns. If there were a conflict that involved Elder, they could approach county staff in human resources or the Employers Council.
“I’m a firm believer that they have to have an alternative to go to outside of me, and that’s for any county employee that doesn’t feel comfortable coming to human resources,” Elder said. “Neutrality is critical.”
Elder said there’s been some interest in the director position, which will remain open until filled. There will be a first review of applications in two weeks. Elder will be the first recipient of the applications.
The board fired Terri Lesley July 28.
