County Commissioners Reaffirm Appointment Process for Library Board of Trustees

 By Gretchen Garrity

At their weekly meeting on Feb. 6, 2024, the Christian County Commissioners reaffirmed the process used last year to vet and appoint Christian County Library Board of Trustees positions.

There are approximately nine local county boards that are comprised of volunteers who serve the public in various ways, including on the library board. These are unpaid positions. Most of them are self-perpetuating in the sense that when a board position comes open each organization selects and vets their candidate and refers them to the county commission for appointment.

However, because the county library has been embroiled in controversy for more than a year, the county commissioners took charge of the process and eventually appointed two new board members in 2023.

 

(You may have to go to Youtube to view the video)

 

 Citizens began petitioning the library board in December 2022 to restrict age-inappropriate, pornographic, and pervasively vulgar materials in the children and teen sections of the library.

So far, the library staff and board have resisted almost all efforts to have books moved out of the reach of minors. Monthly board of trustee meetings have seen increasing numbers of citizens commenting upon the issue and requesting relief.

Now that another appointed position is coming open (Clever area) in June, the library staff and other activists are most likely concerned that a new appointee would constitute a majority on the board and be able to make substantial changes to the library's collection policies.

The library's executive director, Renee Brumett, requested to delay the meeting to discuss the appointment process due to the MLA's Library Advocacy Day occurring on the same date. According to Presiding Commissioner Lynn Morris, the delay request came in late Sunday or early Monday before Tuesday morning's meeting.

The Commission, after discussion, decided to go forward. A motion was put forth from Eastern Commissioner Bradley Jackson, and seconded by Presiding Commissioner Lynn to continue the appointment process in perpetuity until such time as another motion was made to change the process. It passed, with Western Commissioner Hosea Bilyeu voting no.

The commissioners heard from citizens who were not happy with the process or the fact that the commissioners voted to continue the procedure from last year without the library staff being present. For the record, there are sixty employees in the Christian County Library system. Surely, not all of them were at the Library Advocacy Day or at work.

Let's be clear, the dissent is coming from people who want to continue with the library as it has been and continues to be--a place where children are being exposed to age-inappropriate books of a sexual nature, as well as indoctrination in Marxist ideology through DEI and CT.

They know that when the commissioners appoint another trustee, that the board may decide to make changes.

It's that simple.