Key spot on library board up for grabs

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- Eleven residents are seeking the position of chairman of

the library’s board of trustees -- one of the city’s most coveted

high-profile volunteer titles.

The four-year post, currently filled by Coast Magazine publisher Jim

Wood, will be up at the end of June. The City Council hopes to have the

new trustee in place by July 1.

Council members Tom Thomson, Todd Ridgeway and Gary Adams will narrow

down the applicants and give their nominations at the June 13 council

meeting.

As a five-member group, the trustees work symbiotically with the Library

Foundation, which raises money for the institution. The trustees decide

how the money will be distributed, in terms of programs, books and

classes.

Despite the controversy he has encountered in the past year, Wood has

thrown his hat in the ring. A self-described “ideas man” Wood has helped

push forward some of the library’s biggest programs. This year, in

particular, he was able to get TV news anchor and author Tom Brokaw to

speak at the Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series.

However, some foundation members have been upset by Wood’s leadership

style, and he was at the center of a bitter dispute between the

foundation and trustees earlier this year.

FYI

Candidates for the open position on the library’s board of trustees, as

of May 30:

* William Adams

* Karen Clark

* Patricia Diener

* Walter Howard

* Margreta Klassen

* Mary Petropoulos

* Ruth Poole

* Michael Purcell

* William Valentine

* Jene Witte

* James Wood