Tucked on the shelf in the little town of Gravette (Benton County) is a legal battle between the now former librarian and mayor. The bad blood started with attempts to close the library.
It was the librarian, Rhonda Kim Schneider, though, who wanted the library closed because she thought it was unsafe, according to her lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
During the summer, the library had undergone a renovation and expansion. At its grand opening in August, Schneider discovered “the newly renovated parts of the building appeared to be failing, such as buckling of the floor and bricks falling from the wall,” the lawsuit said.
Schneider reported her findings to several agencies, including the Fire Marshal’s Office of the State Police. The office reported the building was unsafe and immediately closed it until repairs had been made, according to her filing.
Schneider said that the day after the library closed, Gravette Mayor Kurt Maddox ordered it reopened, and it was.
About a week later, the city council, however, said the library should be closed until the repairs were made. In September, the repairs were made and the building’s doors opened for the town of a little more than 3,000.
Maddox then proposed a city ordinance that put Schneider under his control. The ordinance was approved, and within days, Maddox fired Schneider,the lawsuit said.
Schneider said the termination was unlawful and questioned the legality of the mayor’s ordinance. She is seeking an unspecified amount of damages from the city and the mayor.
Maddox declined to comment on the allegations.
Arkansas Municipal League Attorney Sara Monaghan, who is representing the city and Maddox, denied the allegations of wrongdoing in a court filing.
The defendants “fully intend to defend the lawsuit,” she told Whispers.
Meanwhile, Schneider started last week as a library director in Pineville, Missouri. She is being represented by Nichole Manning of the Bailey & Oliver Law Firm in Rogers.