Employee complaints stack up against library acting director

Everybody knows you're supposed to be quiet in the library, but it looks like library staff are making noise because they're not happy with Acting Director Arlene Santos.

Guam Public Library System Board Vice Chair Kris Seerengan confirms the board has received eight complaint letters about Santos from library staff - and there are only 18 employees under her watch. Sources say there's intimidation, bullying and retaliation and the vice chair is telling KUAM News "there are serious issues" with Santos' leadership. He confirms the board has already met one-on-one with staff.


"I've heard that there are some concerns, I don't know about complaints, but there's concerns, so I cannot say anything right now because I don't actually know what's up," Santos said. "If they did go to the board then the board I feel they would need to confront me about it first. "You know, I'm the acting director so I would think as a matter of professional courtesy they would let me know that they're going to address it with the governor."

But does the library board even have the authority to discipline or reprimand Santos if they find faults with her management? Well, according to Santos, the answer is no.

"They would have to go and discuss it with the governor because they haven't exercised their authority to hire me or say they tell the governor they don't want me," she said. "They haven't come to that discussion."

Santos has gone through two 90-day acting appointments - she's been the acting library director since July of last year and her second 90-day appointment ended in January. But the library board still hasn't hired her - she says it may be because they don't have the budget to pay her $70,000 salary.

"I was hired initially under the governor's office as a special assistant, so I'm still in that position," Santos said. 

So while the governor may have detailed her to the library seven months ago, Santos said her acting appointment to the library is still good.


"I was appointed acting by the governor so that acting is good for a year," she said. 

But why hasn't the library board officially hired her? The board hasn't hired her because - according to the board's Seerengan- she isn't qualified for the job.

KUAM news confirms Santos does not meet the qualifications laid out in Guam law for library director.


"The qualifications of the law that exists right now? No, I don't meet. I have a master's but it's not a Masters in library science," she said.

We asked Santos if she thinks the board hasn't hired her yet because she's not qualified for the job.

"I think that would be the governor to answer that question whether she feels that's an issue or not because she's the one that makes the appointment," she said.

We asked Santos why the board would need to hire her if she says her acting appointment is good for a year.


"I didn't say I'm going to be here for a year," she said. "I'm saying the governor has the flexibility of keeping me here up to a year, but I would think that the board would need to decide you know, who they want to be director here," she said. 

Meanwhile, Seerengan said the board plans to meet with Santos today to address the staff's complaints.