Half Hollow Hills library board to hire lawyer to pursue firing of executive director Helen Crosson

The Half Hollow Hills library board said it will hire a lawyer to pursue the firing of its executive director, who was suspended with pay last week.

On March 27, Helen Crosson, executive director since 2015, was asked to submit her resignation by Monday or be terminated, according to draft minutes posted to the library's website that were later removed. 

During a library board meeting on Monday night at the Dix Hills library, board of trustees president Jacob Goldman said because Crosson did not resign, the process for a separation would likely be longer. He said he hoped an amicable settlement could be reached. 

“What we informed her and what we are informing the community is that we’re going to be in the process of hiring a special counsel to handle whatever the process might be from this point forward,” Goldman said. 

Board members declined to comment further, citing the issue as a personnel matter.

According to SeeThroughNY, a database compiled by the Empire Center for Public Policy, Crosson earned $154,684 last year last year.

She recently led the $24.7 million, four-year renovation of the library that reopened last year.

Library employees Betty Ann Tomforde and Lisa Garland said they submitted an email to the board on March 8 asking whether board members were looking into the reason behind staff departures. 

At the March 27 meeting, attendees addressed the board with their complaints. At the end of that meeting, the board voted to suspend Crosson with pay and passed a resolution seeking her resignation. 

It’s not clear if the board ever spoke to Crosson about her management style before seeking her termination.

Crosson could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

About 75 people attended Monday’s meeting. Goldman said he hoped employees would publicly share their support for the board's position on firing Crosson at the meeting, but requested that they do not speak to the media. 

Patricia Lynch, who worked for the library for 24 years, said the attacks on Crosson were “unprofessional, vicious, and quite frankly, very vague and groundless." 

“The problem here is not Helen — the problem was here before Helen, and, sadly still remains; the problem we are facing is a toxic mindset by a small number of staff,” Lynch said. 

Tomforde, who said she has worked at the library for more than 30 years, said morale under Crosson has been very low and that’s why she felt compelled to send the email to the board.

“Helen had a wonderful personality, but she also had a different side to her,” Tomforde said. 

Michele Peluso, the library’s business manager since 2017, defended Crosson from the “scathing accusations” presented at the March 27 meeting, adding Crosson has been the target of harassment and sabotage.

“What would the response be if Helen Crosson suspended a permanent status employee and asked for their resignation without any prior written warning and no due process?" Peluso said. "Most likely, the outrage would be deafening. Why is this treatment deemed acceptable when it comes to the library director’s career and reputation?"

CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story incorrectly said library employees Betty Ann Tomforde and Lisa Garland sent a letter to the board of trustees asking the board to investigate what the two employees said were years of abuse by library director Helen Crosson toward her staff.