Retain sanity on the library board

I can remember when the late Jim Marx and Sandy Ashworth traveled to the White House to receive the "Best Small Library in America" award from First Lady Laura Bush not that many years ago.

Since then, a group of disgruntled employees leveled embellished claims of mismanagement resulting in a multi-year closure and limited operations to the detriment of library patrons and Boundary County taxpayers. This resulted in thousands of dollars squandered in legal fees and unearned paid administrative leave for the accusers. We just learned our ICRMP insurance costs have now increased by 20% due to library liability issues statewide.

We now have a bevy of fascist-leaning politicos who side with those who seek to wreck our library's reputation. They run candidates, as a slate, to promote a narrow extremist agenda that will replace parents as the decider of what their children view and read.

The duties of a library board member predominantly deal with inventory, facilities, technologies, personnel, finance and security. Those who would tell you otherwise are clueless.

What we see in the candidacies of Lewis Clark and Mary-Esther Wilson are two individuals with limited qualifications for the positions they seek. They are backed by individuals and groups, such as the John Birch Society, Hometown Idaho PAC, Boundary. News, and Boundary County Watchman, whose values run contrary to those of the longtime Boundary County norm.

Vote Tuesday, May 16 to retain Aaron Bahochek (Zone 3) and Lee Colson (Zone 5) on the Boundary County Library Board.

GERALD B. HIGGS

Bonners Ferry