The Dolores Library District Board voted earlier this month to terminate Executive Director Sean Gantt’s contract, ending his roughly six years of management.
Board President Sandy Jumper said the board’s basis for Gantt’s termination was a workplace assessment it commissioned through a third party.
The board held an executive session June 9 to discuss the results of the workplace review. A motion to fire Gantt was approved 5-0. Board member Belinda Platts was absent from the vote, while voting members Jumper, Correen Becher, Leah Burkett, Lee Hallberg and Emily Wisner-Meyers approved it.
As director, Gantt oversaw library operations, budget, building maintenance, and payroll, among other things, and the library’s four full-time staff members. According to his 2026 employment contract, Gantt’s salary was $77,180 per year for services as the director.
The board held another executive session Monday to determine specific wording of Gantt’s firing, but no action was taken, Jumper said. She said Gantt was informed the termination terms will be provided to him “as soon as possible” through the board’s attorney Elizabeth Dauer of the Front Range-based firm Seter, Vander Wall & Mielke, specializing in special districts.
“The staff is operating as usual, they are comfortable with their responsibilities in the interim,” Jumper said. “The board is focused on keeping the library an important, integral part of the community and a welcoming place for people to come.”
Gantt said he did not want to provide a comment about his termination to The Journal because he’s awaiting to hear the terms.
“I enjoyed my time serving the greater Dolores community and look forward to other opportunities to do so,” he said in an interview.
Gantt wrote a letter to Jumper dated June 3 requesting further clarity on any accusations against him, which was obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act request.
“I have asked on multiple occasions if I am being accused of some sort of violation of either state statues, our own policies, or any other laws and whether the board is initiating some sort of performance evaluation or disciplinary action against me,” he said in the letter. “I have never received an answer.”
The library board hired independent consultant Luminary Consulting of Durango and leadership coach Adrea Bogle to administer the workplace assessment after a special meeting May 1.
They surveyed library staff and board members, with the survey to staff including introductory wording that said:
“This confidential survey is part of a workplace assessment to better understand the strengths, challenges, and overall work environment at the Dolores Public Library District. Your honest feedback will help identify what is working well and where improvements are needed to support staff and strengthen the organization.”
Conflict over board governance had progressed in the months leading up to the survey. The board formally censured a member – Hassan Hourmanesh, who has since resigned – in late November.
The board hired legal counsel after several contentious meetings drew the public eye toward a library otherwise operating with steady patron use and programming for all ages.
The May special meeting was a tense atmosphere with moments of visible friction, reflecting division among the board and Gantt.
The board planned to have an executive session to discuss personnel matters – a part Gantt asked to attend. When that request was denied, he said he had no other option but to ask that the conversation occur publicly.
The meeting was also called to discuss confidential complaints the library received in past months. Jumper said the complaints were submitted in person or through a “Contact the Board” portal under the governance section on the library’s website.
Through a CORA request, The Journal obtained five complaints. One was from a staff member dated in March about a payroll issue that has since been corrected. Four separate correspondents whose names were redacted said in their complaints they had experiences with Gantt that were inappropriate and unprofessional.
In one complaint, a library patron said they were checking out a book when Gantt made a comment about a child’s name that made the patron uncomfortable.
Another complaint concerned an after hours work event called “Books and Bikes”; and the complainant said Gantt was drinking and making crude comments, including a sexual innuendo and inappropriate comments about someone’s grandmother.
One complainant who described himself or herself as a regular library patron said Gantt micromanages staff and creates a hostile work environment.
Lastly, one complainant said he or she felt unwelcome by Gantt despite having good things to say about the library overall.
The Dolores Library District Board declined to produce results of the workplace assessment requested by the Journal.
Dauer said the assessment is not subject to CORA, citing Colorado Supreme Court case “City of Colorado Springs v. White.” The landmark case in 1998 dealt with a similar working conditions study for the city of Colorado Springs. An eventual Supreme Court ruling recognized the “deliberative process” exempting the information for public record, saying it protects the mental processes of government officials generated prior to reaching a decision.
Several people wrote letters in support of Gantt, which were provided in the June 9 board packet. They spoke favorably of Gantt’s leadership, expertise and demeanor, citing personal interactions with him as library patrons and community members.
Volunteer Sandra Pyle, who wrote from experiences with Gantt at an exercise class he regularly facilitated, said Gantt is knowledgeable and a “good manager.”
“I was dismayed to hear he was having difficulty with the board,” Pyle wrote.
Another commenter, Shannon Jones, said in her letter: “I want to be diplomatic. Yet, please, whatever is going on regarding Sean, PLEASE STOP. He is a professional, highly educated in library science, and always willing to learn and do more for the library, the many citizens of our community and the community itself.”
Allan Burnside wrote a comment to the board May 25 commending Gantt for his service and time devoted to the Dolores Rotary Club.
“He has taken the time to get to know the ‘building blocks’ of Dolores Town and Montezuma County. … He obtains grants and is serious about maintaining a budget,” Burnside wrote.
Comments provided in the packet varied. A comment from an anonymous person stated they weren’t aware what was occurring in the disputes but characterized experiences with staff as “great.”
“Whenever I talked with the people at the front desk (sometimes a young lady, sometimes a young man) they have been super friendly and helpful with finding books, printing, etc,” they wrote.
awatson@the-journal.com
