On Friday, Dec. 12, the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC), along with three members of the Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees — President Adrian Rippy-Sheehy (Silt), Vice President Michelle Foster (Parachute) and John Mallonee (at large) — interviewed a dozen candidates, four for each of the three open seats representing New Castle, Rifle and Parachute.
Each member of the six-person panel chose one question from a set list to ask each candidate. There was no opportunity for public comment.
BOCC Commissioner Mike Samson brought up the silver lining that controversy regarding access to a specific series of manga books at the libraries resulted in wider interest for serving on the library board. Not surprisingly, one of the more pertinent questions came from Chairman Tom Jankovsky: “Federal law, Colorado law and the Garfield County Library District’s bylaws require the library district to protect children from material on the internet that is harmful to their beneficial development. Do you believe there should be the same reasonable policies for children’s access to books that are designated for mature audiences?”
For the sake of space, this report focuses on the candidates’ responses to that prompt. A recording of the entire interview process, as well as cover letters and resumes, can be found at www.garfieldcountyco.gov/board-commissioners/meetings
“Part of the reason why I’ve served 10 years was because nobody else was interested in serving from Parachute in the past,” chimed in Foster, who was applauded for her decade of service. “It’s wonderful that we do have all of these applicants.”
The BOCC is expected to announce selections at its Jan. 5 meeting, just in time for the library board’s first meeting of 2026 on Jan. 8.
Rifle candidates
First up for the Rifle seat was Juby Cumming, the chief deputy assessor for Garfield County. When asked what her strengths are, she said she is “annoyingly organized” but also “easy going.”
“This is a really well-run library system,” she said, drawing a comparison to all of the libraries she’s visited, from the East to the West Coast and as far as Scotland.
She said it’s not the library’s position to monitor what a child is reading, but rather parents’, who, she suggested, can review what their children are checking out.
“I am an Evangelical Christian … and that is the most important part of my life,” said the next Rifle candidate, former Garfield County manager Ed Green, who oversaw the library system initially in that position, before it became its own district. He is an Army veteran, and considers himself a conservative.
He “definitely” agreed with controlling access to mature books in a way similar to that of the internet. “I hear the argument all the time that it’s really the parents’ responsibility to monitor that, but once they get into the library they’re ours, they’re our responsibility.”
Since 2011, Gregorio Rios has worked as a petroleum engineer technician for the Bureau of Land Management. Originally from Paraguay, he has lived in the U.S. for 20 years. He frequents the library and participates in its Latino heritage events. When he and his family travel, they tend to visit libraries.
He expressed that some library content should be accessible by a certain age, but that developing brains need more guidance. Jankovsky pushed him for clarity, repeating his question. Rios responded simply, “I think so.”
Alex Vessell has been a public school teacher and resident in Rifle for four years. “I live right near the library in Rifle, and I love going there,” he said. “I think it’s a great place for the community. I think it’s a great place for knowledge.”
Vessel opined, “There maybe could be cases that we would be like, ‘Hey, this information would not be good to give out to kids’ … I think there’s some judgement there that could be made, but overall I’m not in favor of huge bans or anything.”
Parachute/Battlement Mesa
A career educator and the former superintendent of Aspen School District, David Baugh moved to Colorado in 2020, but just recently settled in Battlement Mesa.
“I thought this would be a terrific way to continue community service,” he said. “I bring to the table the ability to listen and try to understand different points of view.”
When it comes to regulating children’s access to print materials, he said that the law, particularly Colorado law, is clear. Although, he added, “I think we can provide sections, and I think we can do that within the scope of the law.”
Cynthia “Cindy” Bjerstedt has lived in Battlement Mesa for over 10 years, having moved from Ohio for a position at Grand River Health. She also fostered children over the years. “Children are very important to me, and protecting them is very important,” she said.
“There’s been a lot of … wordsmithing around the ‘banning of books’ and so forth,” she stated, and was the first to delve into the specifics of the books in question. “We’re not talking about ‘Harry Potter’ books here … We’re talking about books that I’ve seen that are very sexually exploitative of children.”
A resume was not included with Judy Herigstad’s cover letter, but she explained that she’s worked a lot of jobs “out of necessity,” including for the U.S. Army and in armed security and information technology. “I love the library,” she said, adding that she’s “had the joy of watching [the Parachute] library go from some teeny-little shoebox to this fantastic building that people love to go to.”
She’s of the opinion that the library should “absolutely, without a doubt” protect children from printed materials. “I’ve seen some of these materials and I wish I never had,” she said. “I’d never wish that on somebody’s innocent child.”
Lynda Prendergast, a retired educator, has served on several boards and committees, including as president of the local Kiwanis Club. “I’ve taught kids and worked with parents in all kinds of different settings,” said Prendergast.
“I think that our library is already doing as much as they can do as far as where books are placed,” she commented. When it comes to changing policy, she said it would have to be discussed and voted on by the trustees.
New Castle
After graduating from Basalt High School, Kristi Gill moved to New Castle to raise a family. She was a nurse at Valley View Hospital for 35 years and 10 years at Grand River Health.
She said that she likes to do research rather than form an immediate opinion, so she went to the Silt Library and looked up the manga books under scrutiny. If the books are going to be on the shelves “they have to be put where children can’t get them,” she said. Otherwise, she worried that libraries risk parents not allowing their children to go there anymore.
Nicole Gordon has been in New Castle for over two years — Colorado for 25 — and has a masters degree in journalism. She works remotely as a writer, editor and communications professional. “Libraries are near and dear to my heart,” Gordon said, describing herself as an “enthusiastic patron” of the New Castle Library.
“While I absolutely sympathize with the desire to protect children, I think adult books should be shelved in the adult section and that parents, not government officials, should decide what kids look at.” Putting that in the hands of the government, she said, would be a “slippery slope to censorship.” She, and others, said that what children can access on the internet is more concerning than what they might find at the library.
John Gracey grew up on a dairy farm in Ireland. He has degrees in agriculture and food technology and raised four children. He settled into a career in sales before meeting his wife and moving to the U.S. Aside from sales, he’s worked in homecare as well.
He and his wife are both musicians and perform a few times a year between the six library branches. “The library is the epitome of civilization,” he said, “and we have six wonderful Garfield County libraries.” He commended staff and Executive Director Jamie LaRue.
Green supported restricting child access to books he described as “pornographic,” by placing them out of reach or in a different room.
Brit McClin was the only incumbent to be interviewed, having served for the past year after being appointed by the BOCC to fulfill Crystal Mariscal’s term. “Probably the greatest strength that I have is that I know the job,” he said.
He explained that the library he went to growing up had an age-restricted section. “I survived that,” he said. “So, personally, I really don’t care if we do that again.” However, he restated the importance of following the law, and referenced Colorado Senate Bill 24-216 Section 2 standards, which restrict libraries from regulating access to materials based on partisan or doctrinal disapproval and places an onus on libraries to challenge censorship.
“Does the public have a right to take umbrage with some of these positions? Absolutely,” he said.
Library recommendations
The library board met on Monday, Dec. 15 to vote on its recommended candidates. All library board members were present, except Tony Hershey (Glenwood Springs). McClin recused himself for the New Castle discussion.
The board unanimously voted to recommend Gregorio Rios (Rifle), Lynda Prendergast (Parachute) and Brit McLin (New Castle).
What do you think of the library board appointment process and what qualities or values do you seek in library board trustees? Join the discussion on Mountain Perspectives.