By Jim Wilkerson
On Thursday, Sept. 16, the We the People of North Central Louisiana group invited Police Jury Ex-Officio Richard Durrett and Library Interim Director Marcie Nelson to speak about the library and the vote for the library millage renewal. The meeting took place at The Venue on Haddox Road, with approximately 30 to 50 people in attendance.
The group Durrett and Nelson spoke to believes in the concepts of limited federal government, the free market, individual freedom with responsibility and the unalienable rights set forth in the Bill of Rights.
Nelson opened up the dialogue by explaining what the library does. She immediately dispensed with the concept that the library simply houses books.
“We’re just a bunch of book peddlers. That’s what we do. That’s a lie,” she said. “[The library] is your history…We have a lot of technology that we offer to the public…We do programming for all ages…We’re one of the few libraries in the state that has enough space to house a Smithsonian exhibit.”
Nelson then spoke a word on the property tax: “So you might pay on your property taxes, but at the end of the day, if you go to Books-a-Million and walk out with seven books…you’ll be paying more. If you’re not using the library and you’re a property owner, I don’t know what you’re doing.”
The discussion then turned into a Q & A, some questions more pointed than others.
Scott Terry began by asking if the library has a “Friends of the Library” group, to which Nelson responded the library does. “Usually, it’s a really low activity group…but in election year it ramps up,” she said, pointing out the flyers and signs currently being circulated throughout the Parish.
Natalie Richardson then asked about the LGBTQ incident that happened last November and December. She mentioned that she was at the heated Dec. 9 meeting, when the Library Board of Control voted to keep LGBTQ books up on the children’s shelves.
“My part of the community left there feeling like no one acknowledged we were there,” Richardson said. “We were called Nazis,” referring to when people accused her and others of wanting to ban books. “We don’t know anything’s changed, so I wanted to hear from you…That’s why I’m here.”
Durrett responded that the library has made significant changes in its policies since then.
“I wasn’t there. [Nelson] wasn’t there,” he said. “Things are run a little differently now…We have a different library. We have a, generally, different board.”
Nelson then directly told Richardson, “We’re not putting those books back on display.”
Retired Lt. Colonel (Air Force) and advisor to the leadership of “We the People”, Rick Sutton, stood up and endorsed Durrett’s and Nelson’s comments, saying “I think she has done a great job making some positive changes to the library.”
Interestingly enough, Durrett acknowledged that the LGBTQ issue played a significant role in the initial vote to renew the library millage. Richardson and others agreed.
The conversation then shifted to the library’s budget. Mary Elizabeth Halbrook wanted to know if the library could shrink its $1.9M budget by selling the Events Center. Nelson replied, “The Events Center pretty much pays for itself…I think the library would certainly feel that vacancy.”
Halbrook and Terry both asked if there was a way for the library to make more money by allowing alcohol in the Events Center. Durrett responded, “The Police Jury can do that [but] they have chosen in the past not to do that.”
“If all you’re doing is breaking even then why have it?” Terry asked.
This question went unanswered.
Ultimately, the meeting ended on a positive note, with the crowd applauding Durrett’s and Nelson’s presentations. On Friday, Rick Sutton posted on Ruston Rants:
“I got educated about the current library situation at the ‘We the People of N. Central La meeting’ last night and feel a lot better about the tax renewal vote in November. I strongly support it whereas before the meeting I was leaning the other way.”
