Trespass order put in place against former Watertown Regional Library Director

June 2, 2022
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.–The director of Watertown Regional Library has resigned, and has been, at least temporarily, banned from the entering the building.

City Manager Amanda Mack says the library board accepted the resignation of Dee Dee Whitman at their May 10th meeting.

Whitman, who was paid an annual salary of nearly $82,000, was hired in 2017 to replace Mike Mullin, who retired.

Assistant City Librarian Maria Gruener has been named interim library director.

At the June 7th Library Board meeting, there’s an agenda item listed where Whitman is expected to appeal a Library Board trespass warning.

City Attorney Matt Roby tells KWAT News, “following her (Whitman’s) resignation, there were issues identified by the current library director that were deemed appropriate for a trespass order to be put in place.”

Roby says there are personnel issues related to this matter that he is not allowed to discuss, but he does say there is no suspected criminal activity involved.