2025 A Look Back: Micromanagers of the year award
In recent months, the FRL board has been occupied with matters both grand in scale and infinitesimally small.
File photo
We never thought that Micromanager of the Year would become a repeat award, but here we are.
This year’s micromanagers of the year are the members of the Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees.
As the board continues to handle complex big-picture issues without the guidance of an attorney, some members are also finding time to dictate how staff members conduct day-to-day business.
While this mindset doesn’t exactly seem punitive, it does seem to originate in a rusty bucket of red herrings.
Most recently, the board voted in favor of doing away with whatever money goes to professional dues. The figure stated was $1,440, but it’s unclear whether all of that came from taxpayer dollars or donations. Either way, it amounts to about .03% of the annual budget.
The board also seems to love nothing more than a good committee — after all, a key tenet of the micromanager is to put extreme focus on minute details. These committees are made up of board members, typically from each of the three counties (Macon, Swain, Jackson) that comprise the library system. Having to sit on committees is time consuming, as they require additional research into specific issues, and these committees meet separately.
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FRL Director Tracy Fitzmaurice, seemingly the target of much micromanagement, has to attend all these committee meetings.
Not all board members seem thrilled with FRL’s micromanagement era. Cynthia Womble and Tony Monnatt, both of Swain County, have expressed strong disagreement and even frustration with a lot of the decision-making. In September, Womble and Monnat both stepped down from their posts as chair and vice chair, respectively.
A common phrase in this area is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” FRL has had a good track record over the years, despite the often-unfounded claims of the harshest critics. Micromanaging it to death may just create the fait accompli they seem to seek.
