The lines were clearly drawn at the Garfield County Public Library District’s Board of Trustees meeting on April 3, the first meeting where newly appointed Glenwood Springs representative Tony Hershey sat at the table as a board member.
Members of the public spoke for more than 45 minutes at the beginning of the meeting, divided both ideologically and physically on opposing sides of the room. Those on one side held miniature American flags and accused the library of grooming children, while those on the opposite side accused the other of bigotry.
During board members’ comments at the end of the meeting, Hershey said that he was surprised at the divide and said that he was looking forward to his new role.
“I know that … some of you have heard of me, maybe from [Glenwood Springs] city council or something, but this is a different role,” he said. “I wish you guys would just mingle a little bit. I think there is a path forward here on the issue that a lot of people spoke to at the beginning of the meeting, and I’m going to work really hard to … be more successful and to move forward.”
Despite Hershey’s words, the room was fraught with contention. One member of the public said he was saddened that the board’s meetings did not include the Pledge of Allegiance, and another spoke only to ask those in the room to stand for the pledge. Stephanie Hirsch, Carbondale’s representative, was the only board member to join in doing so. Most people in the room did not stand or recite the pledge.
Rifle resident Trish O’Grady also spoke and said that she was readdressing her petition from July 2023 demanding the removal — or restricted access — of the manga series, “Prison School,” from the library’s shelves, an issue that she claimed has not received any attention. “It’s still a concern,” O’Grady said.
John Lepkowski, a Silt resident who, along with O’Grady, asked the board to remove or relocate the books, said it all came down to protecting kids from adult material. “We’re trying to save the children, not save the library,” he said.
On the other side of the room, New Castle resident May Gray said that those calling for the books’ removal were not acting out of an interest to protect children, but instead with an interest in politics.
“Is this really all for the children, or is this a political agenda?” she rhetorically questioned.
The finger-pointing did not end with public comment. At the end of the meeting, Trustee Myrna Fletchall, who was attending by Zoom, accused President Adrian Rippy-Sheehy of bullying when she said that Fletchall would not be sent data sheets, presented during a previous meeting, detailing staff compensation. Rippy-Sheehy also said that she wasn’t convinced that Fletchall wasn’t asking for the information so that she could pass it on to O’Grady or another community member.
“I’m going to stop you right there, immediately, because that is not something you can say,” Fletchall said in response. “I’m tired of your behavior and treating me like that.”
After the back and forth, Rippy-Sheehy adjourned the meeting.
To review the meeting in its entirety, visit www.gcpld.org/about-us/leadership/board-of-trustees