A look inside the delayed selection for the next Pikes Peak Library District board member
The Gazette
The search for the next board member of the Pikes Peak Library District has been going on for four months.
The term for Board President Dora Gonzales expired at the end of 2024. The library district held an opening for applications in September and a second one in November because the announcement had not been posted for enough time on El Paso County’s website.
Copies of the member applications obtained through a public record request show that 51 people applied for the position over the two separate windows. Other applicants include the now-former mayor of Palmer Lake Glant Havenar, a former librarian for the district and multiple members of other local boards.
On Dec. 3, the library board’s governance committee recommended nine of the applicants for the four library board liaisons — two elected officials from the Colorado Springs City Council and two El Paso County commissioners — that form the committee that reviews candidates and selects the library board candidate. That final candidate is then voted on by the entire city council and county commissioner board for appointment.
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Two months later, Councilwoman Nancy Henjum said the candidate interviews have still not been scheduled despite multiple attempts. The unscheduled interviews make it unlikely any finalist will be named or approved by the end of January.
“Not only are we not prepared to do that, but we haven’t even determined who we will be interviewing,” Henjum said.
The selection committee is not required to only interview the candidates recommended by the library board, though the policies are unclear about how other options would be chosen for an interview.
The makeup of the library board has been under a higher level of scrutiny since the board voted in October to close the Rockrimmon Library branch. Many supporters of the library branch argued the board was too eager to shut down a library instead of looking at other options to make it financially viable.
The board application form asked people to select which library branches they used within the city. Sixteen of the applicants said they used Rockrimmon as one of their main libraries. Several of the applications mentioned the decision to close the library either directly or indirectly as a reason they were interested in the board.
Library board faces Colorado Springs City Council questions over decision to close Rockrimmon branch
“I hope to see more community input and voices as well as identifying and protecting the rich resources of the Pikes Peak Library District that are unique to us,” LeAnn Bartlett wrote.
Of the nine candidates recommended by the library’s governance committee, only one said they used Rockrimmon Library. East Library was the most popular destination among the recommended members, with six of the nine applicants saying they used the branch. Library 21c, High Prairie Library and Penrose Library each were mentioned by multiple users.
The library facilities plan that suggested closing Rockrimmon had also mentioned closing the Ruth Holley branch as part of the same approach. One of the nine recommended candidates said they visited Ruth Holley in their application.
One of the applicants who made it through the governance committee was Mary Elizabeth Fabian, who ran against Henjum for the City Council seat in 2021. Fabian was the only one of the nine finalists who did not name a library branch she uses.
“I see the board as a form of service to the community and do not believe I should approach it with a hard goal to accomplish,” Fabian wrote.
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A look inside the delayed selection for the next Pikes Peak Library District board member
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct details about Palmer Lake Mayor Glant Havenar.
The search for the next board member of the Pikes Peak Library District has been going on for four months.
The term for Board President Dora Gonzales expired at the end of 2024. The library district held an opening for applications in September and a second one in November because the announcement had not been posted for enough time on El Paso County’s website.
Copies of the member applications obtained through a public record request show that 51 people applied for the position over the two separate windows. Other applicants include the mayor of Palmer Lake Glant Havenar, a former librarian for the district and multiple members of other local boards.
On Dec. 3, the library board’s governance committee recommended nine of the applicants for the four library board liaisons — two elected officials from the Colorado Springs City Council and two El Paso County commissioners — that form the committee that reviews candidates and selects the library board candidate. That final candidate is then voted on by the entire city council and county commissioner board for appointment.
Two months later, Councilwoman Nancy Henjum said the candidate interviews have still not been scheduled despite multiple attempts. The unscheduled interviews make it unlikely any finalist will be named or approved by the end of January.
“Not only are we not prepared to do that, but we haven’t even determined who we will be interviewing,” Henjum said.
The selection committee is not required to only interview the candidates recommended by the library board, though the policies are unclear about how other options would be chosen for an interview.
The makeup of the library board has been under a higher level of scrutiny since the board voted in October to close the Rockrimmon Library branch. Many supporters of the library branch argued the board was too eager to shut down a library instead of looking at other options to make it financially viable.
The board application form asked people to select which library branches they used within the city. Sixteen of the applicants said they used Rockrimmon as one of their main libraries. Several of the applications mentioned the decision to close the library either directly or indirectly as a reason they were interested in the board.
“I hope to see more community input and voices as well as identifying and protecting the rich resources of the Pikes Peak Library District that are unique to us,” LeAnn Bartlett wrote.
Of the nine candidates recommended by the library’s governance committee, only one said they used Rockrimmon Library. East Library was the most popular destination among the recommended members, with six of the nine applicants saying they used the branch. Library 21c, High Prairie Library and Penrose Library each were mentioned by multiple users.
The library facilities plan that suggested closing Rockrimmon had also mentioned closing the Ruth Holley branch as part of the same approach. One of the nine recommended candidates said they visited Ruth Holley in their application.
One of the applicants who made it through the governance committee was Mary Elizabeth Fabian, who ran against Henjum for the City Council seat in 2021. Fabian was the only one of the nine finalists who did not name a library branch she uses.
“I see the board as a form of service to the community and do not believe I should approach it with a hard goal to accomplish,” Fabian wrote.