Trying to understand the TRL board’s hiring decision

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 2, 2026

When I read that the Timberland Regional Library Board of Trustees hired administrator Andrea Heisel as interim director, I groaned. Not because I have anything against Heisel — I don’t even know her — but because I believed the board needed to bring in an outsider willing to make tough decisions to fix the library system facing a $3.8 million deficit.

Heisel, library services director under the former Executive Director Cheryl Heywood, participated in decision-making that left the five-county library district with a huge shortfall between operating costs and expected income. She also was among administrators who in recent years received double-digit salary increases after accepting more responsibility. And, at the direction of Heywood, she developed the plan to lay off 61 frontline library workers to cut costs.

With more than 20 people applying for the position, I figured it shouldn’t be hard to find an experienced library professional who could find places to cut — including among the administrative staff — to save money.

And, quite frankly, trustees needed to rebuild trust and confidence in both the board and the library system itself. Especially if they hope to persuade voters to raise the levy lid so they can collect more tax revenue.

At this point, although I love libraries, I wouldn’t support such a levy lid increase because the board of trustees and administrators — including Heisel — haven’t proven to be good stewards of their resources.

I figured the seven library trustees have two jobs — oversee the budget and hire the director. When I read that story, I figured they had failed on both counts.

That’s just my opinion, although my concerns were echoed in a release from the Patron Coalition for Local Libraries posted on Facebook by Centralia City Councilor Ray Chapman-Wilson.

“We want to explicitly state that our organization cannot and will not in good conscience support a levy lid lift for TRL while anyone who played a part in the corrupt TRL administration remains in charge,” the coalition wrote.

“It is a slap in the face of the public, including 2,692 residents who signed a PCLL-sponsored petition demanding complete and total administrative change in order to restore faith in the system. That faith is now more damaged than ever.”

I tend to agree, but I reached out to Brian Mittge, a friend and fellow columnist and history buff who chairs the board of trustees, for an explanation.

Although trustees had planned to hire someone from outside, he said, Heisel, who took over temporarily after Heywood resigned, brought 26 years of library experience and institutional knowledge after joining the TRL system in 2017. She also outlined a plan to meet directly with 10 department heads rather than communicating only through two administrators.

“I thought that was a good change, that seemed like a basic administrative reform that was direly overdue” he said.

He said she also revamped plans for laying off workers — except for voluntary and disciplinary layoffs — to buy the board time to address its financial problems.

“She understood that there had been a lot of problems, and she also stepped forward really early on in the process and offered to take a pay cut, and no other member had to offer to do that,” he said.

Trustees rolled her salary back by 13 percent to $14,154 a month — 2022 levels — compared with the $17,232 paid to Heywood ($169,848 compared with $206,788).

While reserves are expected to drop in the fall until taxes are collected, Mittge said, asking voters to raise the levy lid isn’t practical yet.

“I would not vote to bring a levy lid lift forward because … I can’t tell my neighbors you should increase your taxes to invest more in this organization right now because we haven’t sufficiently changed the course of the ship and changed the culture,” he said. “I want people to know that they would be investing increased taxes in a well-running organization that is financially responsible.”

He asked people to judge by the results.

“Within a week of being in charge, she’s already making some meaningful changes that hadn’t been made before,” Mittge said. “And I think people are going to notice a change in the culture.”

Within six to 12 months, the board plans to launch a nationwide search for a full-time executive director. By then, Mittge said he hopes the library system will be in better shape.

“I’d like to get to a point where I can stand up and be the loudest, most enthusiastic cheerleader for a levy lid lift,” he said. “Right now, today. I couldn’t.”

Quite frankly, every time I turn around, I read about more waste from the highest levels of government — $52 million to change the U.S. Department of Defense to the Department of War so leaders can feel more macho — to lawsuits and settlements paid by Lewis County for bungled investigations, politically motivated commissioners’ decisions, and violating free speech rights of an employee by firing him for comments posted on a personal Facebook page.

Where are the competent leaders who govern professionally rather than politically? We need them.

Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.