LIBRARY NETWORK ELECTION: Vote for Meyer and McCrea

I value the First Amendment, the freedom to read, parental choice and fiscal accountability. For these reasons, I will be voting to re-elect Regina McCrae and Judy Meyer to the Community Library Network Board.

During their years of service, they have upheld these values. Libraries embody the First Amendment. Within their walls, persons are free to choose what they wish to read — whether it is Milton Friedman’s “Capitalism and Freedom” or Karl Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto.” It is not the role of the government to determine what we read. Censorship does not belong in the American library system. McCrea and Meyer are committed to protecting our exercise of the First Amendment.

The libraries have been facing a great deal of criticism concerning certain young adult books. Some members of our community have read rather salacious sections of books out loud at public meetings. In many cases, these books are not even in the library system. They have submitted lists of books (one over 750 books long) and demanded that they be removed. They don’t want their children reading these books and they don’t want your children reading these books either. McCrea and Meyer want to empower parents to make choices for their own children, not someone else’s child. The library has different cards for different ages. Parents have both the ability and responsibility to determine what their child can read — not the government.

The Community Library Network is fiscally sound. With seven branches, three bookmobiles and hundreds of employees, this is both impressive and a signal that the leadership is taking its role seriously.

For these reasons, let’s re-elect Regina McCrae and Judy Meyer on May 16.

CHERI ZAO

Coeur d’Alene