Hennepin Library Director Chad Helton acknowledges new county residency policy

In a job interview Thursday with Seattle Public Library officials, Hennepin County Library Director Chad Helton acknowledged that the county is now requiring a person holding his position to live in Minnesota.

While he said he accepted the county's new policy, he did not say whether he would move back to Minnesota from his home in California if he doesn't get the Seattle job and continues to work for Hennepin County.

One of two finalists to become chief librarian for the Seattle system, Helton spoke for 30 minutes and was interviewed for 60 minutes in a virtual forum Thursday evening. Seattle library officials did not say when they would make a decision.

Helton, who became Hennepin County Library director in 2020, moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2021 after county officials allowed him to work remotely under an interim policy adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After hearing criticism from county employees, their unions and members of the public, county officials announced that supervisors such as Helton would have to seek an exemption by Jan. 31 to work outside of Minnesota or Wisconsin. Having a job where you are working face-to-face with clients, County Administrator David Hough told the Star Tribune in December, "is not conducive to working in a different state remotely."

The Seattle Library's president and vice president asked Helton a series of questions about library policy Thursday, none of them about the residency issue. But in response to a question from the public about the controversy, Helton said his decision to live in Los Angeles had created "a backlash."

Helton, who said last summer that he could run the Hennepin library system through video conferencing and that his move to Los Angeles was permanent, told Seattle library officials on Thursday that his move was prompted by eye surgery.

"I had eye surgery coming up so I applied for the ability to work out of state, and that was approved and I moved back to California," where he had lived while working for the Los Angeles Public Library, Helton said. "It wasn't something I did unilaterally."

He added: "The fact that I had moved and the policy changed where people felt that I should be living in Minnesota, whenever that policy came, the county decided to change that particular policy. That's their prerogative and I understand it. That's what the community wants the position to be there. I completely support that."

He added that he had been able to do his job well from California.

"There haven't been any complaints from county administration or county commissioners about me not being able to do my job," Helton said. "There was a time when I missed a little bit of work because I had five eye surgeries in six months."

Helton was asked whether he would move to Seattle if hired as chief librarian. "I do intend to call Seattle my home if I get this position," he said.

The other finalist for the Seattle job is Tom Fay, the system's interim chief librarian. Fay was publicly interviewed Wednesday.

Hennepin County announced this week that Helton had taken a voluntary leave of absence as of Feb. 2, and county spokeswoman Carolyn Marinan said Thursday the leave was unpaid. Officials have declined to say whether Helton had applied for a residency exemption, nor did Helton say anything about it Thursday.

Hennepin County commissioners, who have not publicly raised objections to Helton's move to Los Angeles, held a closed-door session on Tuesday to discuss legal strategies regarding Helton and embattled Sheriff David Hutchinson.

The Hennepin County Library has 41 branches, including the Minneapolis libraries, and 528 permanent and temporary employees. The Seattle Public Library has 626 employees with a central library and 26 neighborhood branches.