Citizens Respond Aggressively to Supervisor Jamieson’s Latest Chapter of ‘I’m Right, You’re Wrong’ on Library Issues

Once again, the debate, or should we now term it the escalating verbal hostilities between defenders of Samuels Public Library and the anti-Samuels board majority, took center stage over agenda items in another meeting of the county’s elected Board of Supervisors (BOS).

The verbal fires, already burning in the wake of the first Public Comments on agenda items, were stoked on September 16 by Supervisor Richard Jamieson’s nearly 20-minute board report repeating and defending his continued attacks on library operations

Prominent among library supporters addressing the supervisors were Kathleen Mancini (22:33 linked County Video mark) and Samantha Good (1:36:48 Video mark). Mancini spoke at the first Public Comments on agenda items, Good at the second on non-agenda items.

Oh, wait — was it an agenda item or not?!?

Other public speakers, including Louis Motten, John Jenkins, Jim Barnes, and George Cline, were heard.

Above, pro-Samuels School Board candidate George Cline challenges Supervisor Jamieson’s ties to, and perceptions of what is best for and wanted by Warren County citizens. Below, Jim Barnes joined in criticizing Jamieson’s attempts to justify defunding Samuels Public Library. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

But here we will focus on Mancini and Good’s critiques of the anti-Samuels efforts of the now 3-1 board majority, Cullers dissenting.

Conflicting Religious Perspectives

Mancini opened by noting she had attended Catholic School “for 12 years,” adding that, “I learned that when you act petty, vindictive, divisive, and dishonest, you are not acting according to Christianity. And Jesus Christ said ‘Give unto Ceasar what is Ceaser’s and give unto God what is God’s’.”

The Catholic background and historical Biblical quote appeared to be an acknowledgment of Supervisors Jamieson and Stanmeyer’s reported ties to Christendom College, and what has been termed by some Christendom graduates who did not buy into the style of Catholicism taught there as an aggressive, even extremist, form of the faith.

“So, go ahead and give to God what is God’s. But give unto the library the money from taxes that we in this county paid to support our library,” Mancini continued, adding, “To do anything else is dishonest, divisive, and irresponsible. That is not what Christianity looks like; that is what petty self-interest looks like.

Kathleen Mancini, foreground, and another Samuels supporter discuss transparency in County business with Chairman Butler post meeting. Below, 3 of the 4 remaining supervisors listened to some unhappy citizen feedback on Sept. 16. Fourth supervisor John Stanmeyer was present by remote hookup.

“And now you want to take our hard-earned taxpayer money from the library and give it to economic development,” Mancini said, making quotation mark gestures with her hands. “Have you forgotten that the taxpayers of this county are still paying off the last economic development embezzlement? You should be so proud of yourselves for carrying on the history of that corruption in our county.

“Since this County has defunded our library and defunded Shenandoah Farms, I would like a refund on my taxes. If you don’t spend the money on what you’re supposed to spend it on, it should go back into my pocket, not yours.

“Stop being dishonest, divisive, and irresponsible. Fund the library or refund our taxes,” Mancini concluded scathingly to the remaining three anti-Samuels supervisors, Jamieson, Butler, and Stanmeyer, the latter present by remote connection due to a business trip out of the area.

A ‘Save Samuels’ Grassroots Counter Attack

In the wake of a nearly 20-minute prepared statement with referencing graphics justifying the supervisor majority’s defunding of Samuels Public Library that Jamieson made during Board Reports, grassroots “Save Samuels” President Samantha Good replied harshly, as noted above at the 1:36:48 video mark.

Of Jamieson’s lengthy, 19-minute contention that a lack of financial accountability or transparency, as well as costly mismanagement by Samuels officials and its Board of Trustees was the root cause of the board majority’s defunding of Samuels, Good opened with this scathing assessment of the three minutes the public is given to respond to all they hear from supervisors, particularly on the library topic:

“So, I don’t get as much time as Supervisor Jamieson, so I can’t refute all of his lies that he keeps spewing,” Good opened, adding, “So, I’m just going to focus on the top ones that I think are really important tonight.

‘Save Samuels’ President Samantha Good ‘makes a point’ in calling out Supervisor Jamieson, seated far left, on his Board Report portrayal of Samuels Library as a rouge operation previously outside of County control. Below, Jamieson during his 19-minute prepared anti-Samuels Library, graphic-assisted board report.

“So, talking about representation, very hypocritical of you considering you and the other three board majority excluded (lone Samuels supporting) Supervisor Cullers from many activities that involved the BOS, which excluded (representation of) a fifth of this whole county. And as far as representation again, the Warren County Library Board that you elected, full of book banners, and yes, they are, only represented three districts (of five). So, how is that representative of our population? But the (Samuels Library) Board of Trustees, which has multiple members from every district, only represents 6% of our population?

“That’s a twisting of statistics. And I think you don’t expect people to check into your numbers. But people are waking up. They know you’re lying because you keep repeating the same lies in different ways,” Good said before refocusing on a recent coming November election candidate.

“Let’s continue to talk about representation with your book-banning Library Board. — One of your members just made a big donation to Scott Turnmeyer, which I find interesting because in talking about transparency,” she pointed toward Jamieson, “You’ve been forwarding Board of Supervisor emails to Scott Turnmeyer. So, I find that interesting that you’re so interested in transparency, but you’re including people not on the Board of Supervisors in Board of Supervisors emails. And you can’t tell me that he has any kind of background in what you included him on because that would be a lie.”

We will note here that Turnmeyer is an announced candidate for the Happy Creek District seat currently occupied by Board Chairman “Jay” Butler, who is not running for re-election. Turnmeyer is running against former Happy Creek Supervisor Tony Carter, who has come out of board “retirement” after over 20 years on the board. Carter has come out as a strong supporter of Samuels, publicly stating that financial transparency and accountability have always been there from the Samuel Library. That contention is perhaps illustrated by the 30-year lease a previous board gave Samuels on its occupancy of a County-owned building it now occupies, 14 years of which remain on that lease at a cost of one dollar per year.

Good went on to assert other instances of current board majority ineptitude in dealing with library issues, noting that documents FOIAed by them should already be in the possession of the supervisors, and that those documents are readily available on the Samuels website. She also stated that the current board, with its anti-Samuels majority, has not directly contacted the Samuels Board of Trustees in a year and a half. — “So, how are they supposed to communicate with you, when you don’t communicate with them?” Good pondered.

A closer shot of Samantha Good during her scathing appraisal of board majority spokesperson Richard Jamieson.

A final discussion

Mancini was denied a second public comment on non-agenda items shortly before the 6 p.m. meeting’s adjournment at 8:55 p.m. That denial imposed by board Chairman “Jay” Butler was due to a rule that citizens can speak at only one Public Comments session per meeting, even though those sessions address differing concerns.

As she explained her desire to readdress the board on library issues, Mancini pointed to two differing versions of the agenda cover sheet available upon entry to the meeting room. That discussion between Mancini and Chairman Butler continued after adjournment, after the chairman indicated a willingness to speak with Mancini on her new issues following adjournment of the meeting.

Another shot of post-meeting discussion between Kathleen Mancini, back to camera, a second Samuels’ supporter, and Board Chair ‘Jay’ Butler concerning transparency in the board’s agenda packet and dealings with library representatives.

And it appeared that post-meeting discussion was civil, even good-natured, considering the concern of several citizens about a lack of transparency by the board in its continued defunding of Samuels Library operations.

Samuels has maintained its public library role, which it continues with its own assets, including citizen donations and Library Endowment funds. As previously reported the supervisors committed $1,024,000 to public library operations when it believed its chosen publicly bid library company, LS&S (Library Systems & Services) would be coming here. However, LS&S withdrew its proposal, declining to come here under the circumstances as they were unfolding. Those circumstances included Samuels ongoing occupancy of the current County-owned library building with, as noted above, 14 years remaining on it; and a claim of ownership of all its books and related materials, which it noted were purchased with patron donations and Endowment Funds, not with County tax revenue.

Stay tuned as the library battle continues heading toward the November election.

Royal Examiner will address the rest of the meeting and its agenda items, highlighted by four public hearings on Short-term Tourist Rental Conditional Use Permit (CUP) applications; an Update on Public Schools operations and budget development by Interim Superintendent David Martin; and, Oh, it was new County Administrator Brad Gotshall’s first meeting.

Click here to watch the Warren County Board of Supervisors Meeting of September 16, 2025.