By Arthur Howell

PLYMOUTH — A handful of friends and supporters of former Tyrrell County Librarian Lynda Mastronardo arrived at the Pettigrew Regional Library Board’s meeting on Monday, March 23, to ask the Pettigrew Regional Library Board of Directors to request her reinstatement.

However, despite being a relatively small group, that support meeting came alongside a large swath of letters to Pettigrew Regional Library Director Nate King and the library board, which met at the board’s headquarters in Plymouth.

Those letters came from organizations and citizens alike, including the Tyrrell County Chamber of Commerce and Tyrrell County Sheriff Kevin Sawyer, among others and were issued in support of Mastronardo’s reinstatement. Specifically, they came as a stark rebuke of her loss of the position in February. See our previous story about Mastronardo — here.

The Pettigrew Regional Library Board of Directors consists of appointed representatives from Chowan, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington counties in North Carolina.

Prior to the public comment section, King announced that Rachel Brown, who previously served as the Children’s Program Librarian at Braswell Memorial Public Library in Rocky Mount, had accepted the position to serve as Tyrrell’s new librarian.  More about Brown’s appointment will appear in a future article to be published in the Beacon. On that note, Tyrrell County readers, in addition to the Albemarle Observer, please start turning to the Beacon for news about your neck of the woods, as it is under new management. And if you have any news tips for the Beacon about Tyrrell and Washington counties, please reach out to mileslayton1969@gmail.com

Back to Mastronardo — she rose to speak for herself first, touting her dedication to her former position and the relationships she had built within the Tyrrell Community. Her full statement, which she read to the board, appears at the end of this story.

“I’m respectfully requesting reconsideration and reinstatement to my position and to provide context that I believe was not fully considered during the decision-making process,” she began. “During my tenure, I was consistently told by county leadership, the local board of trustees and regional administration that I was performing well in my role. The Tyrrell County Library has operated efficiently, maintaining strong communication, relationships and expanded programming under my leadership.”

Mastronardo continued, saying that she had not received a formal performance evaluation since 2023, despite annual evaluations being part of her position.

“How can I improve when I’m not hearing what I’m doing wrong?” she asked rhetorically. 

She then went to the crux of her controversy: a former staff member who would become the librarian technician. 

The two would butt heads and fail to find common ground throughout this time, an ordeal Mastronardo says communicated to King but received little support afterwards. 

“Within the first month, I experienced management challenges with the staff member and communicated those concerns with Nate (King), my supervisor,” she began. “I was advised at that time that the new employee was within the probationary period and that termination was an option. Not once was I given support in this situation. I state this only because, there were employee issues at other branches that my supervisor went to support and work through. I know this because he shared that information with myself and my library assistant. I state this because it’s one of the grievances against me in the separation document… that I shared information with others within the region. In hindsight, I acknowledge that I should’ve gone the documented route and written stuff down to give to the region. That’s something I take complete responsibility for.” 

Mastronardo continued, saying that one of the factors leading to her release was a staff member’s allegation that Mastronardo had mocked her, an allegation she denies. 

 “One of the concerns raised was an allegation that I had mocked the employee. I take that very seriously. However, I’d like to clarify that within our team, there is an established culture of mutual respect and openness, including the employee referenced,” she added. “The employee in question would make light of her own challenges and we would collectively acknowledge areas of growth and support in respectful manner.”

Mastronardo went onto tell the board that, after receiving her formal rebuke on February 9, she was not given the opportunity to share her perspective with the library board.

She subsequently asked for the time to have her separation document reviewed by an attorney. She was told that she was free to do so, but that she would be terminated immediately. In addition, she said there was a risk of losing more than 200 hours of accrued vacation time if she did not sign her separation agreement, which is why she did so. 

“When I requested time to have my separation document reviewed by an attorney, I was informed that I could do so, but that my employment would be terminated immediately. The document also indicated that my accrued vacation time, which is over 200 hours…would only be paid if I signed the document,” she lamented. “Given my personal circumstances, including living in a rural area with limited employment opportunities, I felt that I had no choice. There was no alternative… I share this with you because I feel that the process did not allow for a full and fair review… I later found out that the North Carolina statute requires that employers pay out for vacation time upon separation of employment. So this part of this separation document is a violation of state law.”

Finally, Mastronardo added that a few hours after signing the separation agreement, she tried to take it back, but was told that the deal was done.

Longtime Tyrrell County resident John Stanton was the first of Mastronardo’s supporters to stand and speak.

Stanton told the board that, although he was only a single resident, his voice spoke volumes for many who have grown to know Mastronardo. Stanton took aim at the regional library’s disciplinary actions and dismissal policies, which he claimed were not applied fairly to Mastronardo’s situation.

“Specifically, the Pettigrew Regional Library’s policies regarding dismissal and disciplinary actions provide for warnings, disciplinary action, and or dismissal,” Stanton began. “In the instance of Lynda, the only option applied was dismissal based on alleged grievances. The logical question is, did these alleged grievances rise to the level of dismissal…Lynda, under duress, was forced to sign the resignation letter that threatened to cost her her vacation time if she didn’t resign. This is a violation of the North Carolina State Human Resources act title 25, which states that a dismissed employee is to be paid a lump sum for their vacation leave, not exceeding 240 hours. In conclusion, standard practices and policies were not followed in the forced resignation of Lynda. I urge you to consider these facts and adhere to the Pettigrew Library policies that promote fair treatment of employees.” 

Soon after, King chimed in, adding that the statute Stanton mentioned applied only to ‘State Employees,’ only. 

Resident Jean Lambert spoke next, making perhaps the most noteworthy plea for Mastronardo’s reinstatement, approaching the board with a large cardboard sign that read exactly what she and the greater Tyrrell County community wanted from them. It read:

“Reinstate Lynda Mastronardo as Tyrrell County Librarian Director. 250++ citizens (representing more than 100 households) have publicly signed a petition, describing as a visionary leader, who has used her expertise to strengthen Tyrrell’s library as an essential educational resource for children, youth, adults and families in Tyrrell County.”

Aside from her sign, Lambert spoke highly of Mastronardo’s tenure, touting her role in bringing opportunities to the library, particularly from the local Beaufort County Community College, which provided value to the community writ large.

Lambert also cited the hundreds of community signatures in support of Mastronardo’s reinstatement as a tremendous indicator of her impact in the county. 

“This is a small county and the signatures are a big statement. People don’t do this unless they believe something in their soul, in their hearts,” Lambert said.

Supporter Mike Smith of Smith Consulting spoke highly of Mastronardo, citing her as the impetus for him and his wife to homeschool their children. 

Smith invoked the “covenant of good faith,” a principle that requires parties to act honestly and fairly in good faith to ensure each receives the intended benefits of a bargain.

According to Smith, this covenant was violated in several ways, grounds enough for Mastronardo’s reinstatement.  

Wendy Stanton was the last to speak up for Mastronardo, and her approach was direct: to emphasize the extraordinary support the former librarian has received since her termination.

“I’m here to emphasize the extraordinary support that Linda has received since she was forced to resign under duress… we have had so many letters, and I know that Nate went over some of the letters already, but there was also a letter from the Town of Columbia Alderman, the Mayor, the Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Library and also numerous residents,” Stanton said. “As Jean pointed out, at least 400 citizens in our county have signed a petition in support of having her reinstated. That’s over 10 percent of our population, that’s significant… the outpour of comments, supporting Lynda on social media and the tone of anger, and the break in trust in the library system because of how she was treated… it’s significant…. she has accomplished more in her 13 months as an interim librarian, than any other librarian in over 30 years that I’ve lived here.”

Stanton also touted the EcoExplorer program as potentially Mastronardo’s magnum opus, as it required tremendous networking and collaboration among state agencies to create.

“The program has been so successful that it has been copied at other entities across the state. And because Lynda is Lynda, she has been willing to train the leaders that want to have their own EcoExplorer program,” Stanton said. 

King sat patiently throughout the meeting, rarely offering comments, often allowing the speakers to go well beyond their allotted three-minute speaking time. However, after they said their peace, he thanked them for their time and continued without personal comment.

Lambert then asked if it was in the board’s power to rescind the earlier motion that a new librarian be brought on to take Mastronardo’s place. 

King denied that a formal motion was made, only that he announced Brown’s new role as part of his Director’s Report. He added that while the regional board ‘could’ consider putting a stay on Brown coming aboard, there was no ‘recommendation’ for them to do so. 

Mastronardo’s Statement to the Board

My name is Lynda Mastronardo, and I served as the Branch Manager while I got my Masters degree for the Tyrrell County Librarian position. I understand that you have received the materials I submitted over the weekend regarding the circumstances surrounding my separation from the Pettigrew Regional Library system.

I am here today to respectfully request reconsideration and reinstatement to my position, and to provide context that I believe was not fully considered in the decision-making process.

Professional Record and Performance
During my tenure, I was consistently told by county leadership, the local Board of Trustees, and regional administration that I was performing well in my role. The Tyrrell County Library has operated efficiently, maintained strong community relationships, and expanded programming and outreach under my leadership.

I have not received a formal performance evaluation since 2023, despite annual evaluations being part of the position expectations. However, as recently as January 5th of this year, I was recommended by my supervisor for the North Carolina Library Association Leadership Institute, with strong written support of my leadership abilities.

Staffing Concerns and Communication
In February 2025, a new staff member joined the Tyrrell County Library to replace me in my previous position Library Techincian. Within the first month, I experienced management challenges with this staff member and communicated those concerns to Nate, my supervisor. I was advised that, as the new employee was within the probationary period, termination was an option. Not once was I given support in the situation, I state this because there were employee issues at the other branches that my supervisor went to the branches to support and work through. I know this because he shared this information with myself and my library assistant. I state this because it was one of the grievances against me in the separation document that I shared information about others in the region.

In hindsight, I acknowledge that I should have documented these concerns more formally. That is something I take responsibility for.

At the same time, I want to emphasize that prior to this situation, our staff functioned collaboratively and effectively. When two staff members were later interviewed regarding concerns, they expressed support for my leadership and indicated that the grievances did not reflect their experience and one in particular asked why wasn’t anyone asking about all the good I have done in the community and how the library is running better. 

One of the concerns raised involved an allegation that I mocked an employee. I take that concern seriously. However, I would like to clarify that within our team, there was an established culture of mutual openness where staff, including the employee referenced, would at times make light of their own challenges, and we would collectively acknowledge areas for growth in a supportive and respectful manner. It was reflected in the evaluation that I did of said employee, we discussed it at lengthand she was working on it. At no time was my intent to demean or single out any employee.

Concerns Regarding Process
I was first informed of formal concerns on February 9th. I was not given the opportunity to present my perspective to this Board prior to the decision that resulted in my separation.

When I requested time to have the separation document reviewed by an attorney, I was informed that I could do so, but that my employment would be terminated immediately. The document also indicated that my accrued vacation time, over 200 hours, would only be paid if I signed. Given my personal circumstances, including living in a rural area with limited employment opportunities, I felt I had no reasonable alternative.

I share this with you to express concern that the process did not allow for a full and fair review. I later found out that NC statute requires that employers pay out for vacation time upon separation of employment, so this part of the separation document is in violation of state laws. I would not have signed the document.

Community Impact and Commitment
My commitment to Tyrrell County is strong and ongoing. I have served this community for years, not only as Branch Librarian, but also as a Town Alderman, a Chamber of Commerce participant, and a volunteer with the local food pantry and 4H.

Since 2020, I have worked to expand partnerships, strengthen programming, and bring additional resources into the library. Prior to my separation, I had applied for grant funding to support our services, especially important in one of North Carolina’s economically challenged counties. Something that the region should have been doing as well.

The response from the community since my departure has been deeply meaningful and reflects the relationships and impact built during my tenure. At the same time, there has been significant concern expressed by community members, including the withdrawal of program participation and calls to disengage from the library. It is important to me to emphasize that my goal has always been to strengthen and unite this community, not contribute to division, and it is difficult to see the disruption that has followed my separation. The level of community response underscores the investment residents have in the library and in the work we have built together. I ask you how can one disgruntled employee have this much power over the separation of me from the library without the opportunity to state my side?

Request for Reinstatement
I am here today to respectfully ask for reinstatement to my position as Branch Librarian.

I am fully committed to continued growth as a leader and welcome accountability measures. If reinstated, I would be willing to provide regular reports to the Regional Board, local Board of Trustees, and County Commissioners to ensure transparency and demonstrate the continued success of the Tyrrell County Library. Prior to my separation I provided reports to all except the Regional Board of Trustees.

I appreciate your time, your service, and your consideration of my request. I would be glad to answer any questions you may have.