Fairhope, Alabama
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| Johnson receiving award. |
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| Mayor's statement. |
A "CHALLENGING YEAR"
Library Board of Trustees Chairperson Anne Johnson received the "volunteer of the year" award from the mayor/council president on behalf of the entire Library Board during the city's annual volunteer appreciation dinner at the civic center earlier this week.
Mayor Sullivan thanked the unpaid Board for their "dedication to the library" and for successfully managing a capital fundraising campaign for the renovation of the second floor (see the full statement above).
Last summer, the Board became caught-up in a national debate concerning what some local conservatives see as "inappropriate" (ie. sexual content) material in non-adult sections of the library.
Other Board members are: Debra Langam, Dan Stankoski, Andy Parvin, Randall Wright, Jimmy Conyers is the city council's representative and Rob Gourlay is library director.
NEW FUNDING CONTROVERSY
Last week, the state's Alabama Library Service suspended providing state grants (about $21K) after receiving a similar complaint from a Fairhope resident about the location of several books.
Johnson actually missed that debate entirely; she was out of the country on a pre-planned vacation according to another Board member. Mayor Sullivan who is technically not a board member, took up their cause instead: according to various other media reports, she says the Board will respond to the complaint by revisiting the book issues during its next meeting on April 21.
National news outlets like The Washington Post, CNN, and Fox News have already done stories about it; and the New York Times is planning one as well, according to an informed source.
BOARDS SUPPOSED TO "TAKE POLITICS OUT"
Library Boards are formed under state law to provide some isolation from local governments -- and to seek grants from sources that may not be accessible to them.
According to AI: "Library Boards have traditionally functioned independently to ensure that public libraries serve all community members free from political influence."
In 2017, the city's previous mayor Karin Wilson unsuccessfully advocated dissolving the Board and putting the library under the city's control -- for purely financial reasons to save the city over $100K yearly (less "duplication of services").
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS TO COME?
The 'Baldwin County Conservative Coalition' mailed out political postcards last year demanding the mayor and council relocate the books -- with support from the local chapter of the national 'Moms For Liberty' organization. The conservative-leaning '1819 News' has done a number of reports about their activities.
On the other side, the local chapter of left-leaning 'Read Freely Alabama' has been very active as well, advocating for full access to library books and supporting the Board. That organization's week-long go-fund-me campaign on behalf of the Fairhope Library actually raised more than enough to replace the potential lost library funds from the state. The local 'Friends of the Library' non-profit has also been supporting the Board.
The city's municipal election is August 25; qualifying ends thirty days before.
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| May 2024 post card. |