The library’s directors say Gary Wasdin, who has served in the position for more than two years, announced his resignation after violating the code of conduct. The nature of the violation was not immediately clear.
The director of the King County Library System has resigned after officials said he violated the library system’s code of conduct.
Gary Wasdin, 50, stepped down Wednesday during a meeting of the library’s board of trustees.
He had been asked Tuesday to leave the library’s Issaquah headquarters for what a spokesman described as “personnel issues.”
Further details on the nature of the issue were not publicly available, said spokesman Aaron Vetter, of Nyhus Communications, citing privacy concerns.
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“Mr. Wasdin has chosen to resign his position effective immediately, and the Board fully agrees with this decision,” board President Jim Wigfall said in a news release.
Wasdin, who had been director more than two years, could not be reached for comment.
Vetter said the violation was not criminal in nature to the board’s knowledge, nor an isolated event. The timeline in which it occurred was not immediately clear.
HR staff became aware of the violation on March 21. He was out of town until March 28, then notified about the issue and was asked to leave.
Wasdin quit on Wednesday during a regularly scheduled meeting of the board, Vetter said.
Finance director Dwayne Wilson will have legal signing authority in the director’s role until the board selects an interim director, he said.
“We look forward to continuing to serve our communities with the highest degree of integrity, professionalism and excellence,” Wigfall said in the news release.
Policies in the system’s conduct code, obtained by The Seattle Times, bar staff members from engaging in activities ranging from habitual tardiness to harassment, as well as working under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The guidelines list more than a dozen other rules.
Wasdin was paid a salary of $200,000, Vetter said.
He previously served as the executive director of the Omaha (Nebraska) Public Library.
The King County Library System is one of the largest public-library systems in the country, operating dozens of library branches across the county.
The previous director, Bill Ptacek, resigned in 2013 to serve as CEO of the Calgary Library System in Alberta, Canada. Ptacek had been with the King County Library System for 25 years.