Then came this news, reported by Alice Armour Armstrong in the local paper: "Museum of the Year 2012 Exhibitions Curatorial Assistant Lizzie Cunningham is alleging that Trustee Ben Mulvane 'initiated a smear campaign' in an effort to destroy her reputation, according to a letter from her lawyer, Kevin Harper. A museum visitor and an unnamed town official allegedly heard the remarks attributed to Mulvane and repeated them to a museum employee, who later told Cunningham. Cunningham claims she has lost weight and has had trouble sleeping since the alleged remarks began. She decided to threaten legal action to clear her repuation, according to Harper."

In May, the underlying work for all the new museum's stairs was complete. Stud framing was complete throughout. The roofing work was underway. All of the brickwork was completed, except on the southwest, more boldly-windowed side. The telecommunications wiring was all done. The permanent electrical power was in operation. All the site's outdoor pole lights were functioning beautifully. By June, all of the sheetrock wall and plastering was complete. The plumbing was just about completed. All the sprinkler systems -- both in the building and across the lawns -- were installed and functioning.

In essence -- to the eye -- the Museum of the Year 2012 was ripe to be moved into.

A Mission Statement was formulated by the Board of Museum Trustees: "The Museum of the Year 2012 will provide high-interest collections and services in a variety of formats for persons of all ages, stimulating interest and appreciation for culture, soicety, the arts, and learning."

Then Camperdene Daily Journal reporter Alice Armour Armstrong reported, "Museum Troubles Resume."

"A female Museum of the Year 2012 employee has charged a museum trustee with harassment. The latest charge was made by museum employee Mary Tuchlein. Tuchlein told the Daily Journal this morning, 'the crux of the issue' was interference by Trustee Wallace Barrow. Tuchlein said, 'the constant interference of the Trustees in administrative matters,' as having influenced her decision to depart the museum. Likewise, she belabored 'their disruption of the chain of command through personal relationships with some members of the staff and intimidation of others, making the Museum of the Year 2012 an impossible place to work'."

So there they were. Neil had to count on the graciousness, dedication, and expertise of Curatorial Assistants Frannie Micheline and Colleen McCartney to go forward. Various responsibilities needed to be delegated between the two of them as time permitted. "If I've forgotten something, let me know," Neil told them. "We'll come out okay. You have every right to be confident. You're doing fine work."

Neil sent off a note to Ben Mulvane: "Ben, Michael Bonaventura phoned this afternoon to consent to my going ahead with sending the job ads for the vacated post. He said it is fine with him to go ahead and fill it. He says he will not vote approval on my recommendation for filling the position until after a discussion of Mary Tuchlein's allegations occurs. I feel strongly a special meeting should be held, in the company of a mediator (to keep the discussion on track)." Ben was very familiar with the ways in which some people could derail reasonable discussion of just about anything they chose to.

In his Director's Report to the Trustees, Neil wrote, "Some of us bring with us, from the past, terrible personal pain. Despite the arduous task of my interviewing candidates to fill vacant museum positions, and though we have been understaffed and busy, I have not enjoyed a finer month of work and pleased patrons than in this last month at the Majestic -- I mean, the Museum.

At the next meeting of the Trustees, Chairman Ben Mulvane proposed offering new staff members "a general orientation to museum services, with a gentle immersion in the history and purpose of musuems (e.g. purpose/function of board of trustees), with an introduction to trustee lines of authority, staff answering of telephones, directing calls, handling complaints, and so on. It would be equally helpful to review some of the problems in staff-trustee dynamics: resistance to change, constructive versus destructive criticism, how to deal with stress, and so forth."

Then the six trustees battled over Neil's choice of who should fill the staff vacancy. They were split three to three, and then they were split three-three over the matter of whether or not the trustees even had any say in the Director's choice as to who should or shouldn't fill a staff vacancy -- cunningly and successfully delaying the filling of the vacant position, half of them wearing down the other half. Ultimately, the candidate for the job just walked away from it. Lana Staufelder turned down the job, and Neil re-opened the search.

The feuding trustees continued to be in a deadlock over the open post. By and by, it became clear that three trustees were pulling for my promoting staffer Francie Marshall Hearst to the post. But then Wheel Barrow announced Francie Hearst could not be under consideration for the vacant post­, as "everyone knew" she was dating Board Chairman Ben Mulvane.

In fact, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ben, had been leaning hard on Neil to appoint her to the job. Neil had seen that she in fact had the pedigree, but he felt she lacked appropriate professional experience -- or he would have appointed her to the post at the outset. Now the rumor was abroad that she was sleeping with the Chairman, and Neil wished he'd never brought her on board in the first place. Ben should have been facilitating her resignation, not calling on Neil to get her promoted. After all they'd been through, he just should have known better.

Of course the "other half" of the Board of Trustees -- the "Association" half -- scoffed openly at the idea of "the Hearst girl" getting the job. "I'm sure she's good in some positions," Wheel Barrow said mischievously, looking at scarlet-faced Ben Mulvane out of the corner of his eye, "but she's not going to get in this one."

A steaming angry Francie Hearst stormed into the library the next day and, an inch from Neil's face, told him she was going to keep the job she had and that she would sleep with whomever she pleased.

The Supervisory post remained vacant.

Ben Mulvane, who kept busy micromanaging the construction of the new library, was furious. One day he called Neil on the phone to tell him he was crazy. He said he'd truly appreciated Neil's clear-headed, resolute stands on issues back when the "nuthouse nuts" were in control, but now, obviously, Neil had gone over to the other side.

"I had thought you were my friend," Ben mourned.