Eagle City Council members emerged from closed-door deliberations Oct. 8 with unanimous agreement to remove two of the four remaining members of the city’s public library board. The question city leaders won’t answer is: Why?
The decision came weeks after another closed-door decision about the library: the board’s 3-1 vote to move 23 books in the library that were deemed “harmful to minors,” most of them from the young adult section to the adult ward, and three to the adult ward. circulation desk where an adult must request them.
Whether these decisions are related is a secret of the city council. For some members of the public, that may be part of the problem. And for the time being, the library no longer has enough board members for a quorum.
Here’s what we know.
Session behind closed doors about personnel, lawsuits
As BoiseDev reported, the board deliberated for an hour in executive session with two clear purposes: to discuss personnel matters and to discuss pending or threatened lawsuits.
The council then met again in open session, which Idaho law requires in order to vote. According to meeting minutes approved by Mayor Brad Pike, the board removed board members Sarah Hayes and Kelsey Taylor in a single vote. No action was taken in response to pending or threatened lawsuits.
The two remaining members of the board are Brian Almon and Candice Hopkins, the chairman. Board member Kristen Lewis’ five-year term expired in September and her seat has not yet been filled.
Along with Hayes and Taylor, Almon voted on September 18 to move 23 books within the library, following a series of requests for reconsideration the library received after a new state law went into effect on July 1. The law regulates how libraries must respond to material deemed “harmful to minors.” At the last meeting of her term, Lewis cast the only dissenting vote. Hopkins was not present.
Under the new law, HB 710, if a minor obtains material that is deemed “obscene,” the parent or legal guardian of the minor can submit a Request for Reconsideration form. If the material is not moved within 30 days, the parent or guardian can sue the library.
After receiving 25 requests in July, the board decided to move the books. One title for which reconsideration was requested was not in the library’s collection. Another was blank. All 23 moved titles are listed at the end of this article.
An Eagle woman, Angela Russell, was credited in a Nextdoor post with submitting the 25 requests on July 24, Idaho Education News reported. Russell’s message indicates that she hoped the books would be moved to the adult section, citing “sexual activity with minors, nudity, profanity, racist comments, information about gender reassignment surgery, violence, child abuse, alternative gender ideologies” as reasons.
Almon told the Idaho Statesman that he does not believe the firings of Hayes and Taylor were related to the book moves, noting that he voted in favor of the moves and remains on the board.
Almon said he was “surprised” by the layoffs and was not notified until the day after the council’s decision. He said he was not aware of any complaints filed against Hayes, Taylor or himself.
With the resignations, Almon said the board no longer has a quorum and cannot meet until an additional member is added.
In the meantime, library director Steve Bumgarner told the Statesman that the layoffs have had “no impact on library staff” or day-to-day operations.
Bumgarner said in the 12 years he has worked at the Eagle Library, he has never seen board removals before. “It didn’t happen here,” he said.
What city leaders say
In an email to the Statesman, Mayor Pike declined to comment on the firings of Hayes and Taylor.
Dana Biberston, the city’s public information officer, also told the Statesman via email that she is “not aware” of what is discussed at the board meeting and that “the city cannot comment” on the reasoning behind the layoffs . Biberston did not confirm or deny whether the board’s decision was related to the book moves.
Councilwoman Melissa Gindlesperger, the council’s liaison to the library board, also declined to comment on the decision and whether it was related to the book moves. She said she did not believe the moves had an impact on the library or its patrons.
Councilor Mary May told the Statesman via email that her vote was “in no way related to the issue of moving books.”
“Additionally, I cannot comment on matters discussed at the board meeting,” May wrote.
When asked how she would respond to a library patron confused by the decision, May responded, “No decision is made lightly or in a vacuum. It was the unanimous vote of the City Council, in the best interest of the residents of Eagle.”
May also pointed out that the library service has continued without any impact. “In fact, the library has been extremely busy in recent weeks as it has served as an early voting location,” she wrote, which she hopes will be “an opportunity for our residents to see all they have to offer .’
Council President Helen Russell and member Craig Kvamme did not respond to the Statesman’s email request for comment on the decision or its implications.
Neither Pike nor Biberston commented on any impact the decision may have had.
The Statesman asked Almon if he would forward the Statesman’s request for comment to other members of the library board, including fired members Hayes and Taylor, for whom the Statesman did not have reliable contact information. Almon agreed. He later told the Statesman via text message that he had not received a response.
Public Records Requests
The public has shown interest in the book removals and board removals.
From Sept. 10 to Oct. 2, six public records requests were filed with the city regarding the library board. The Statesman filed a complaint on October 7.
Asked whether he thinks the private nature of these decisions could have an impact on public confidence – whether they were related or not – Almon told the Statesman: “I think it would probably be valuable in the future to have these discussions in an open meeting.”
Almon said this is a matter for the city attorney, and that the board is still “figuring out” how to comply with HB 710.
“The public is always invited to come to meetings and talk to us,” Almon said.
He said considering and responding to the requests for reconsideration was part of building trust with the community.
“The whole process that we went through in September, I think, is part of community members raising concerns,” Almon said.
The board, he said, strives to be “as open and transparent with the community as possible.”
Almon said in a text message to the Statesman, “I will be happy if our library makes the news for its wide range of programs for all ages and selection of fun and useful materials.”
What’s next
The October meeting of the library board was originally scheduled for October 16, but was canceled. An agenda for the meeting was not posted online, but notable items from the board’s previous meeting in September included discussions about rearranging the location of the young adult collection within the library and establishing a tiered library card system by age group. Both topics were raised by Hayes.
The next meeting of the board is scheduled for November 20. Almon said he hopes the board can meet. Mayor Pike would have to appoint at least one new member and the council would have to confirm his choice. The next scheduled City Council meeting is Tuesday, November 12.
Biberston, the public information officer, said the city removed the vacancy for board positions on Oct. 31 and is no longer accepting applications.
The 23 titles have been moved
These 20 books have been moved from the young adult section to the adult section:
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‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’ by Jesse Andrews
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“Reportedly” by Tiffany D. Jackson
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‘Lady Midnight’ by Cassandra Clare
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“The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo
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“Super Mutant Magic Academy” by Jillian Tamaki
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“Spinning” by Tillie Walden
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“Shiver” by Maggie Stiefvater
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“What’s happening to my body? Book for Girls” by Lynda Madaras
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“This One Summer” by Mariko Tamaki
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“Wait, what?” by Heather Corinna
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“We Know It Was You: A Strange Truth Novel” by Maggie Thrash
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“I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson
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‘Concrete Rose’ by Angie Thomas
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‘Young Lady’ by Elana K. Arnold
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‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’ by Malinda Lo
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“Queen of the Shadows” by Sarah J. Maas
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“Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah J. Maas
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“Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas
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‘Eleanor and Park’ by Rainbow Rowell
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“Monday’s Not Coming” by Tiffany D. Jackson
These three books have been moved to the circulation desk, where an adult must request them:
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“The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the World of Death, Decay and Disaster” by Sarah Krasnostein
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“Portnoy’s Complaint” by Philip Roth
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“What Girls Are Made Of” by Elana K. Arnold
The three books were replaced on the shelves with foam rubber “dummy books,” library director Steve Bumgarner said.
