Five Public Comment Speakers Critical of Some Supervisor Attitudes on Samuels Library Budget Discussion

Before getting down to the lengthy business of conducting 25 public hearings after coming out of closed session shortly before the 7 p.m. kickoff time of its open meeting of February 6, the Warren County Board of Supervisors heard from four of five Public Comment speakers on a non-agenda item regarding a matter the supervisors issued a press release titled “Board of Supervisors Clarifies Position on Samuels Public Library” earlier in the day. While this reporter and Royal Examiner may have more to say about the content of that release at another time, we’ll focus on citizen Public Comment perceptions on the topic here.

The board got an earful in reaction to the Jan. 30 Samuels Library budget discussion, and it seemed largely, if not totally, from citizens who watched the live stream or County website posted video. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

And it would seem that Public Comment Library supporters who viewed the live stream or video of that January 30th budget work session, as some indicated they had, also read the discussion and some supervisor’s comments as a looming threat to future funding parameters and support for Samuels Public Library. For the essential message of those speakers: Bethany O’Neil (20:45 video mark), Jackie Masella (24:15), Connor Masella (27:05), Kelsey Lawrence (28:50) prior to the 7:30 p.m. start of public hearings (see related story to be posted shortly), and one speaker Jarred Hill, who remained until near the meeting’s end some 2-hours-and-15-minutes later to deliver his comments after the public hearings were completed, was essentially: Please don’t start another personal opinion attack on this long-established and valued community asset’s public funding and operational parameters.

While last in sequence (2:47:20 video mark) due to his missing the 7:30 p.m. hard cut to public hearings, in the wake of his decision to remain to the meeting’s end to deliver them, we will cite Hill’s perspective first. He identified himself as a Bentonville native who, while working out-of-state and traveling for a number of years, has always kept up with his home community’s news and issues. He also acknowledged his recently retired mother as a long-time public school teacher here, who, with the assistance of Samuels Public Library, instilled in him as a youth “a passion for literacy and learning”. It was a passion Hill soon put on display, as the others had before him, in defense of this community’s public library.

Jarred Hill had to wait over two hours to make his case in favor of maintaining the operational and fundraising methods of Samuels Public Library. And when he got his turn, he came out blazing, as had others over two hours earlier.

Jarred Hill had to wait over two hours to make his case in favor of maintaining the operational and fundraising methods of Samuels Public Library. And when he got his turn, he came out blazing, as had others over two hours earlier.

“I’m grateful for having been immersed in that modest yet inclusive and safe learning environment as a young person and for how it helped shape my purview as an adult,” Hill began of the time he spent as a youngster in Samuels Public Library. He quickly moved to more recent times. “Last year’s ugly demonstration of hatred, bigotry, discrimination, censorship, and buffoonery in my hometown was heartbreaking and embarrassing. Witnessing the rise of an extreme group bullying for control was disheartening, but the empowering response from the people of Warren County and supporters of Samuel’s Public Library, showcasing bipartisanship and grassroots organizing, was inspiring. However, Samuel’s Public Library remains under attack,” he asserted.

“I wish to emphasize the importance of protecting the library’s assets and autonomy regarding donations, allowing it to function for the betterment of everyone in Warren County. Given past events, it would behoove Samuel’s Library to accept as many donations as possible and even establish a safety fund for future challenges from malicious meddlers.

“Once again, I see our public library embattled. Instead of discussing what should be done FOR the library, there are continued debates over the allocation of funds, trivial mechanisms, and attempts to degrade the institution’s quality. This impacts the emotional well-being of our citizens, both adults and youth and risks becoming an embarrassing international headline – AGAIN (writers note: capitalization emphases are from Hill’s written notes, which he supplied us with a copy of).

“I implore the board to be a viable ally to the library and its supporters. Leave Samuel’s Public Library alone. Fully fund the library without undermining its leadership. Allow the library to utilize donations from its supporters how their leadership deems necessary. And refrain from threatening opportunities for the people to gain knowledge and perspective.

“In simple terms, keep your hands off our budget and your bans off our books – PERMANENTLY!” Hill concluded, drawing scattered applause from the few remaining citizens present. That led to a scolding from board Chairman Cheryl Cullers, the only visible reaction from the board, reminding citizens against such displays of emotional support of, or opposition to, speakers.

Bethany O’Neil was critical of unnamed supervisors’ body language, facial expressions, and what she termed ‘smugness’ of attitude during the library funding portion of the supervisor’s Jan. 30 budget work session.

As for the earlier Public Comment speakers, Bethany O’Neil led off with a scathing appraisal of what she said she witnessed in the meeting video. “I’m here because of the smugness of questioning from particular board members, the body language, the facial expressions, the solo cup analogy, the word ‘controversy’ used to describe what happened to the library last year — “It wasn’t a controversy, it was a hate campaign,” O’Neil asserted, adding, “The mention of not wanting to spread negativity (she indicated with hand-sign quotations) when you had no problem doing that when you publicly attacked the library,” here O’Neil injected, “Not you Supervisor Cullers” to separate the chairman from some of her colleagues actions of the past.

But she wasn’t done: “Why even entertain the idea of reducing the library budget for the library being good at fundraising? Would you reduce other organizations budgets because of successful boot drives, wine pulls, polar plunges, galas, etcetera,” she added citing well-known fundraising efforts of other outside agency public service providers to the County.

She continued to pointedly remind those she faced on the board that “The library would never turn you down because of the way you look, the way you love, the way you pray. The library is the only place in this town that I think you can take the whole family and leave your wallet at home,” O’Neil added with a nod to the library’s “20,000 patrons, not counting visitors who walk thru the doors,” all of whom could take advantage of the “over 650 programs (offered) in a year for absolutely free.”

She then proceeded thru a lengthy list of things available in the library that make Samuels about “more than books”. We suggest readers access O’Neil’s listing begun at the 22:18 linked Town video mark for an eye-opening invitation to things you may not have known are accessible for free at your community public library.

“Samuels Library is worth way more to this community than any books some of you tried to ban,” O’Neil told some of those seated in front of her before continuing with her list of programs and amenities offered before being beeped out at the 3-minute mark limit for public comments. She thanked the board for those three minutes as she departed.

Bethany O’Neil points out that she could have continued with that lengthy list of free services and programs available at the library, ‘but I got dinged,’ she acknowledged of timing out at 3 minutes of Public Comment time.

It was quite the impressively researched library-defending “book ends” offered by O’Neil’s opening and Hill’s closing the library supporters presentations. But there were others as noted above. Following O’Neil to the speakers podium was Jackie Masella. Masella was also critical of what she had observed of the board’s library budget discussion: “So, in recent discussions about library funding a supervisor opted to use the red solo cup as a metaphor. This approach, while imaginative,” she added glancing toward her right in the direction of Supervisor Jamieson, continuing, “is not just preposterous but glaringly unrealistic. It oversimplifies a complex issue and frankly shows a concerning misunderstanding of how budget projections work.

“The library relies on consistent funding, not the erratic nature of a party cup analogy. Moreover, the suggestion of filling the cup with the donations first, overlooks the fact that donations roll in throughout the year. It’s not feasible or wise to rely on these unpredictable funds at the beginning of a fiscal period. I know in the past there are some people on this board who have struggled with reading. So, I’ll remind you that the current MOA (Memorandum Of Agreement between the County and Samuels Library) tells you that funding cannot be less than the previous year.

“But let’s be clear, we are neither dumb nor blind. We know that you cannot do anything about it this year, you said it yourself in the work session, which I watched, I didn’t just rely on the Royal Examiner,” she injected on the topic of the above-referenced supervisors press release issued earlier in the day.

“We cannot and will not accept oversimplified and impractical solutions, because at the end of the day it’s not really about the library, is it?” Masella continued as she prepared to give her own closing opinion on what transpired last year with the CleanUpSamuels library book content battle.

“Nope, it’s about grown-up bullies who hold hate in their hearts for anyone who believes differently than they do; bullies who find it perfectly acceptable for a child to believe being dead is better than being who they are. And they hear you. They hear you when you call them names or when you say they don’t have place to exist in the world. They know what is really happening when you want books removed because the content is LGBTQIA.”

After Masella concluded with an exploration of County finances and financial motivations, including the financial aftermath of the EDA financial scandal circa 2014-18, she was followed to the podium by a youthful Connor Masella. He addressed the red solo cup metaphor addressed by the previous two speakers, reiterating its oversimplification of the library budget variables to even him as a young teen. He also wondered at the tone of the previous work session library budget discussion with the existing MOA seeming to authorize the existing library operational and funding structures in place through the coming fiscal year.

Final signed-in speaker Kelsey Lawrence was given a spot as the clock had yet to hit the 7:30 hard cutoff time to move toward the agenda’s 25 public hearings. She opened by calling the January 30th library budget work session discussion “problematic”.

“I think it’s time to set the record straight,” she began continuing on the theme of the impact of last year’s CleanUpSamuels book removal effort on the current county board’s budget perspective related to the library. “Words matter, and what happened last summer and fall was simply not a controversy, it was a planned attack. It was pre-meditated and planned, and someone even brought snacks and beer to wage a war on our library and its books,” she said in reference to an apparently reported gathering of the book removal contingent. She referenced costs to both the County and Library from the book removal effort and the MOA entered into in the wake of the strong public backlash to the seeming initial support of that removal effort by some members of last year’s board. As had others, she noted the MOA does not allow a reduction of County funding of the library, apparently through the coming Fiscal Year-2024/25.

“And let’s not forget, you did not secure a controlling vote on the school board. Can you imagine what this board will look like when we have pro-library candidates on the actual ballot. Change is coming and is needed in this county,” Lawrence said referencing the unopposed nature of last year’s ballot for at least one new supervisor in which as we recall in one district, North River perhaps, an unusually high 40% of votes cast went to write-ins not on the ballot.

“Now let’s address the real issue here. You can hide behind finances but we all know your true gripe with Samuels. Funny enough, a woman named Jenny Jamieson submitted multiple requests for removals. And oddly enough they bear different hand-writings. I’m guessing here, and I’m assuming that the girl’s handwriting belongs to your wife,” Lawrence said pointedly to Supervisor Jamieson. “However, if it belongs to you we should talk afterward and I will make a statement in the Royal Examiner saying that handwriting belongs to you. (writer’s note: So far we have not heard from Ms. Lawrence on that topic)

Kelsey Lawrence at the podium with several rows of library supporters behind her to right center of photo. Lawrence questioned Supervisor Jamieson’s attitude and tone at the Jan. 30 budget work session discussion with Samuels Library officials. She also referenced book removal forms, apparently submitted by Jamieson’s wife last year, but which she said contained 2 separate hand-writings, one she interpreted as female, the other male. Below, she holds up one Jamieson-family requested removal titled ‘Worm Loves Worm’.

“The second person’s handwriting seeks to ban ‘Worm Loves Worm’ which is a picture book,” which Lawrence held up, “and you want it banned because it supposedly supports homosexual marriage,” Lawrence continued addressing North River District Supervisor Jamieson. “I guess you didn’t know that worms are asexual and produce asexually. It’s just science,” she asserted of the apparently mono-sexual reproductive nature of the earthworm.

“The worm dresses up as both the bride and the groom because it’s not a bride or a groom, it’s just a worm. It’s science, not WOKE agendas. It’s a bad look when politicians who swear an oath to the Constitution want to throw out the First Amendment. And it’s not just you who is losing, your delegate is also failing at this too,” Lawrence said in an apparent reference to Jamieson’s predecessor in the North River District, Delores Oates, who last November won the new 31st District seat in the State House of Delegates.

“And this kind of violation will cost at least another solo cup or two. I don’t think we have enough cups, we’ll have to buy some more,” Lawrence said taking a shot at Jamieson’s party cup metaphor on the library budget at the January 30 budget work session.

“It’s time to stop the charade, our community deserves better. Samuels Library is open to everyone and it’s more than just a budget item, it’s an investment in our future and each other. Ask questions, that’s not the problem. Being unable or unwilling to listen or sit down with the library’s financial committee is the issue; assuming the worst is the issue,” Lawrence added in apparent reference to Jamieson’s January 30th response to Library Board of Trustees President Melody Hotek’s invitation to meet with library staff or attend Board of Trustees meetings to understand the complexities of the library budget.

“We need leaders who uphold our values, protect our rights, and not those who seek to undermine them for personal agendas. Let’s work together for real change and progress in our county,” Lawrence said in closing her comments in under her three-minute time allotment and before being cut off at the 7:30 p.m. public hearing starting time.

Click here to watch the Warren County Board of Supervisors Meeting of February 6, 2024.