Reference no: EM132224756
Memorandum to the City Council
The late Mr. Jackson Browne was an eccentric millionaire recluse and lived in Tinytown for decades. His fascination with children’s literature, while somewhat unusual, does not surprise you. He and his late wife were very active in many volunteer efforts that involved children. After his wife died under mysterious circumstances, Mr. Browne continued his active volunteering schedule with children’s sports activities, Boy Scouts, and more. A couple of years before his death, a group of young adults hired an attorney and made allegations of sexual misconduct against a minor while they were under his care. He died just as the trial started. His death and the allegations against him made local and state news.
Now, you have faced the question of whether to accept the gift of highly valuable children’s books to advance the collection of the Library and creating a new Library department with the Browne name. Director Prestridge tells you candidly that her children’s book holdings are rapidly deteriorating in number and quality, and the top priority of the Library Council (a volunteer group of citizens who work on behalf of the Library) for the upcoming fiscal year was “to secure historic children’s literature for Library collections” which is exactly what is being offered by Mr. Browne’s estate.
You immediately feel that this is something that should be voted upon by the City Council and have decided to compose a memorandum to the Council to accompany this letter from Mr. Browne’s attorney. Your memo should give the background of the situation and offer at least three different recommendations for the Council to consider. The recommendations should focus on the proposed donation - to accept it, or reject it, to accept it with stipulations, or to come up with some other creative way to deal with the ethical dilemma the letter presents. Suggest some different options for the elected officials to consider.
You anticipate that once this letter is made public and the item is placed on the city council agenda, citizens on both sides of the matter will attend the meeting and be very vocal with their opinions. Since Mr. Browne was never convicted, many in the community feel that the allegations of the young people were simply a ploy to secure a financial settlement. After all, the Browns had been significant donors to many non-profits that serve underprivileged and disabled children. Their volunteer dedication and monetary donations benefitted many needy children over the years. Truthfully, you are not sure how you personally feel about the allegations or what would be best for the city.
Compose a memorandum to the city council where you address each of the following:
1) Introductory paragraph.
2) Identify and describe each of the three (3) alternatives you are recommending that the city council consider.
3) Conclusion paragraph.