Former Manitowoc Library Director in Court

The Former Director of the Manitowoc Public Library who stepped down in 2016, in the midst of a police investigation into suspicious activity, made an appearance this week in Manitowoc County Circuit Court. 57 year old Cherilyn Stewart has posted a $1000 signature bond, on four felony charges related to the use of thousands of materials from addresses outside the city limits, meaning the county would have to pay around $3.65 per item. Stewart didn’t gain anything financially from her scheme, but it began after the city cut the library budget by $100,000 in 2014. There were reductions in every city department to deal with, what Mayor Justin Nickels referred to as, a debt load spiraling out of control in 2009. Stewart will return to court on February 22nd.
The library has been closed on Thursdays due to budget cuts, but it’s new director, Kristen Stoeger, says the community asset will return to a 7 day a week schedule to service citizens on February 15th, with a grand re-opening.