On Wednesday, November 1, ousted Community Library Network trustee and attorney Regina McCrea sent a letter to some of the current CLN board members threatening them with litigative action if they make a policy that does not allow sexually explicit books in the children’s section. McCrea finishes here 3-page complaint letter, on her official law office letterhead, with the sentence, “I have, however, contacted organizations with both the means and the appetite to seek judicial review of any policy attempting to suppress information and ideas or constituting a prior restraint of speech.”
Read full letter below.
On Friday evening, CDA Trash Press writer Devin Weeks sent the board an email stating she was working on a library story and she asked for the trustee’s input.
Beware that this is a similar playbook that ousted North Idaho College trustees used on the board when the neocons lost control, contacting the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities organization to threaten the college with losing accreditation. In this case, friends of the complainant would deliberately try to cause chaos at the board meetings which would then be written about by the CDA Trash Press with select information omitted to put the trustees in a bad light. The complainant then used those selectively written CDA Trash Press articles as proof that there was chaos at the college because of the board.
Community Library Network Trustee Tom Hanley responded to Devin Weeks’ request with a statement to be published on the condition that the statement be printed in its entirety. As one with half a brain could guess, the statement was not included in the Trash article.
Below is the email Tom Hanley sent to Press writer Devin Weeks along with his full statement.
Devin,
Twice I let you know my CdA Press response to Ms. McCrea's letter was dependent upon you using my full response, rather than selectively using only part of my text. The following is provided for your printing in the paper only if the entire text is included. Thank you.
Tom
Who would have ever thought protecting minors from obscene library material would be a contentious issue? My explicitly stated campaign platform and highest goal in running for a CLN trustee position was, and remains, ensuring taxpayer-funded materials harmful to minors be prohibited. If parents wish to purchase perverted material for their children, they are free to do so, but not with taxpayer's monies.
The current board is in the process of drafting and finalizing a revised Materials Selection Policy, and the bullying has begun. My interpretation of a letter sent to the board from voter-rejected board member, Regina McCrea, is essentially declaring law-fare. Do as I say, or I will unleash "organizations with both the means and the appetite to seek judicial review…."
And without commenting on all aspects of Ms. McCrea's letter, I find it interesting that while many of the CLN's policies are expected to be reviewed at least every 3 years, several were well overdue before I took office. Where was Ms. McCrea's urgency about those then?
By Idaho Statute, it is the board's duty to establish policies, and we are in the process of doing just that. As drafts are completed, they will be submitted to the board's legal counsel for review. I will continue to do the job I was elected "by the people" to do. Enough with the sour grapes and inferred threat from an election-loser.