Burning Down the Library to Feel the Warmth of Community

An old proverb warns, “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.” It’s a haunting metaphor for those who choose destruction over connection when feeling isolated, unseen, or irrelevant.

Unfortunately, that’s precisely what’s playing out in Warren County.

At Tuesday night’s Board of Supervisors meeting, community leader George Cline plainly stated that Supervisor Jamison isn’t building up our community. Jamison’s obsessive campaign to dismantle Samuels Public Library, a beloved institution for families, students, and educators, echoes that proverb. This isn’t about better governance or fiscal responsibility. It’s about power, control, and personal resentment.

The contrast is stark. While Jamison and Supervisor Stanmeyer skipped Dueling Disco, a joyful fundraiser that raised over $100,000 for local children, this community showed up. They laughed, danced, and connected. We are building something real, without posturing or politicking.

Yesterday’s Samuels Community Day radiated that same spirit of togetherness. Renewed library cards, scavenger hunts, Apple House donuts, and buzzing energy filled the children’s section. Within 30 minutes of opening, every adult seat in the play area was occupied. Moms and Dads chatted while the kids played and picked out books. My six-year-old’s origami heart, made with a librarian, now hangs proudly on our fridge, a small testament to what Samuels means to my family and countless others across this county.

Yet Jamison persists in tearing down what we’ve built. His obsessive binders about the library, which are stuffed with printed articles and marked by frantic red scrawl in the margins, reveal a deeply personal vendetta. (FOIA them at your own risk.) We hear much about the loneliness epidemic plaguing men; Jamison’s isolation stands in stark relief to men like George Cline and Hugh Henry, who step up to fight for this community.

The library isn’t just a building. It’s our town’s heartbeat: where children discover reading, job seekers print resumes, parents attend story hour, and seniors find connection. Attacking Samuels isn’t an assault on books, it’s an assault on our community’s soul.

Warren County isn’t asking to be saved. We’re asking to be left alone to keep building a community that works: one that raises money for children, supports public services, and draws warmth from connection, not destruction. We have each other, and this November we will elect leaders who will put out the destructive fire that has been raging for over 2 years.

Kelsey Lawrence
Fork District
Warren County, VA

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