Ajax library board recruitment will move from the board’s own selection panel to Town of Ajax staff after council approved a change to the process.
Town legislative services staff will now organize advertising, application screening, interviews, scoring and recommendations for future Ajax Public Library Board appointments. Council will continue to make the final decision on who is appointed.
Town says change aligns recruitment
Municipal clerk Jaclyn Grossi told the September 14 general government committee meeting that Ajax was one of the few Ontario municipalities allowing a board to run recruitment for its next membership. Staff recommended bringing library recruitment into the town’s existing process for boards and committees.
The approved selection structure includes a legislative specialist and staff liaisons. The town had not determined which staff liaisons would participate when the decision was reported.
Before the change, the library board’s panel included its chair, an outgoing board member and a council representative. An earlier version of the panel included chief librarian and executive officer Sarah Vaisler instead of the chair. The board recommends candidates, but council has always retained appointment authority.
Board members raise independence concerns
Board chair Piyali Correya and outgoing member Rebecca McCaughey spoke as residents and questioned whether the new process could affect the board’s independence. They also raised concern that library staff could help screen candidates who would later oversee library operations and hire the chief librarian.
Correya said moving recruitment to town staff would add administrative work now performed by volunteers. McCaughey said control over the recruitment pipeline can affect which candidates receive serious consideration.
Councillors Marilyn Crawford, Nancy Henry and Rob Tyler-Morin opposed the change. Crawford noted that the library board differs from most municipal committees because it is governed by Ontario’s Public Libraries Act and is responsible for hiring the library’s chief executive.
Decision follows months of tension
The Ajax library board recruitment decision follows a dispute earlier in 2026 over the board chair. Council voted in May to remove Correya, citing alleged governance-policy breaches without publicly detailing them. After obtaining legal advice, the board maintained that Correya remained chair.
Mayor Shaun Collier said the recruitment change addressed misunderstandings during the current term and was intended to support the relationship between council and its appointed bodies. Board members argued that clearer safeguards and details about the screening panel were still needed.
