Hermayne Gordon Appointed Acting Woburn Public Library Director

WOBURN, MA — A new acting director was sworn in for the Woburn Public Library this week, the second in half a year.

Hermayne Gordon, who had been named the interim assistant director in March, was sworn in as acting director Tuesday.

Gordon was elevated to interim acting director after the library's leadership resigned in Feb. amid a public battle with the mayor. At the time, Chuck Flaherty was appointed interim director, his second time serving in that role in Woburn.

The resignations trace back to a spring 2020 discussion of proposed library layoffs. A controversy grew around the proposed staff cuts, the board of trustees, and then-Director Bonnie Roalsen until a Jan. 19 meeting a secret trustees meeting came to light.

In the fallout of that meeting, Mayor Scott Galvin introduced legislation to change the library's leadership structure and seven trustees, the director and the assistant director all resigned.

The board of trustees still only had four members, one short of the number needed for a quorum of the nine-member body.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or [email protected].