Dolores Library Board orders workplace review amid director complaints

Anonymous complaints about Sean E. Gantt’s leadership pushed the Dolores Public Library District Board to order a third-party workplace review after a tense special meeting Friday, May 2. Trustees said the complaints had built over several months and centered on communication and the workplace climate, a dispute that matters beyond the boardroom because the library is a public resource many Dolores County families rely on for programs, internet access and a shared community space.

The board approved a workplace assessment and an anonymous survey of staff and board members, then said it would revisit the issue after the review is complete. Trustees described the effort as a way to sort out internal conflict before it spills further into day-to-day operations at the Dolores Public Library.

Gantt asked that the discussion be held in public rather than in executive session, which led to debate among trustees about how far personnel matters can be discussed in open session. Gantt said many of the concerns were new to him and said he had not heard similar criticism from the general public in the way it was being portrayed. Some trustees argued the negative comments represented only a small share of overall library users.

The meeting unfolded against a backdrop of earlier board discord. In November 2025, the Dolores Public Library District Board voted 4-2 to censure trustee Hassan Hourmanesh after allegations that he violated board conduct and ethics rules and Colorado’s Open Meetings Law. That meeting drew about a dozen members of the public and was marked by raised voices, interruptions and arguments among board members.

The library’s board meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. Special meetings are posted 24 hours in advance on the library website and on the front door of the library, a timetable that now frames the board’s latest attempt to answer complaints without losing public trust.

The library lists Sean E. Gantt, PhD, as executive director and says he brings experience in personnel and financial management and public library administration. For a district built on public access and community use, the coming review will test not only Gantt’s leadership but the board’s ability to explain what it found and what changes, if any, follow.