By Dan Kennedy • The press, politics, technology, culture and other passions

Politics and the BPL (II)

Fired Boston Public Library president Bernard Margolis goes after Mayor Tom Menino in today’s lead story in the Boston Globe. And Margolis’ comments are in perfect accord with this week’s Boston Phoenix editorial, which I flagged last Friday.

According to Margolis, the mayor had actually rebuffed his efforts to strengthen the branch libraries — a shortcoming supposedly responsible for Margolis’ ouster — and then turned around and used that as an excuse to get rid of him.

Globe reporter Donovan Slack’s story includes this:

Margolis said he knew in May that his contract would not be renewed, when [Menino chief of staff Judith] Kurland visited him at the library. After taking a tour and perusing 17th-century documents from the Bay Colony, she delivered the news.

“She said, ‘I want to tell you that your contract will not be renewed when it’s up next year,’ ” Margolis said. “She said, ‘If the trustees don’t go along with it, they will be removed.’ “

Kurland confirmed that she had told Margolis his contract would not be renewed, but she denied that she had talked to him about replacing trustees not willing to go along. “What I said was, ‘We do have the votes not to reappoint, if you want us to take a vote on it,’ ” Kurland said.

The only way Menino can make amends for this stunning exercise in political bullying is to bring in a first-class replacement for Margolis. We’ll see.


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4 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    What is Margolis doing? Who is ever going to hire him and now who is going to come here?His lack of professionalism on the way out is going to make it harder for Menino to get a ‘first-class replacement.’ Sounds like he is only concerned with covering his own butt and not for the greater good of the library system in Boston.

  2. the zak

    What is the latest news with respect to the new Chinatown Branch Boston Public Library?…

  3. man whose wife is a big BPL fan

    His lack of professionalism on the way out is going to make it harder for Menino to get a ‘first-class replacement.’ Sounds like he is only concerned with covering his own butt and not for the greater good of the library system in Boston.Quite the opposite, actually. Margolis has now ensured that any potential applicants for the job now know exactly what they’re getting into. This also forces Menino’s hand; if he proposes a replacement that even hints of political loyalty…everyone will pounce on it. This ensures one of two things: either the replacement will truly be top-notch because he or she will be viewed as beyond reproach, or Menino will pick someone who’s only there to be a loyalist and Menino takes the political hit.In other words, Menino can’t have his cake and eat it too by picking someone who’s more loyal than competent…but is competent enough to squeak past a regular vetting process.Granted, Margolis is burning bridges here; although Menino obviously started the fire…Margolis poured gasoline on it. It probably will be factor for any future job Margolis applies for, although at least he’s got press accounts that back up his side of the story. The right supervisor might appreciate that level of (perceived) candor.

  4. Peter Porcupine

    I am intrigued by news reports (WBZ? WRKO?) that somebody in this spat called Menino ‘anti-intellectual’. I admit I don’t find that a stretch, but what is the opinion of others?

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