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Alpena County library appointments draw more than a dozen speakers, split public comment
Summary
Alpena County commissioners received extended public comment on library board appointments and book challenges; speakers voiced sharply divided views about nominees, allegations of harassment, and past millage votes before the board approved the consent calendar that included the appointments.
Dozens of residents addressed the Alpena County Board of Commissioners during the public-comment period to urge opposing outcomes on two library board appointments and to criticize or defend the library's handling of contested books and recent millage votes.
Speakers on multiple sides framed the issue as either a defense of intellectual freedom and library staff or as a concern over specific library materials and staff conduct. Doris Faiz, representing the League of Women Voters of Northeast Michigan, said, “The League supports full service public library systems. Public libraries should support our First Amendment right to intellectual freedom and expression.” Elaine Stenger told commissioners, “Your vote tells us if you will protect our freedoms or limit them.”
Other speakers described local conflict and personal encounters. Diane O'Connor said the controversy “has have resulted in tremendous costs, [to] the taxpayers of this county, and have threatened continued operation of library services,” and warned that turnover in library leadership could increase recruitment costs. Several residents, including Dorothy Boyd and Dustin Budd (a current library board appointee), disputed allegations against community activists and urged civility: Budd said, “I look forward to working with the appointees you sent.”
Current library trustee Joe Garber, speaking by phone, said trustees had pursued parent resources and reclassification steps and defended board actions as within legal rights: “We have taken action that we feel within was within our legal rights or legal obligations to do so, and come up with parent resources.” Former library employee Sarah Grahaski, who said she served as head of youth services until October 2023, disputed calls for censorship and urged attention to literacy: “I was part of the decision to deny her request to censor the books,” and later said, “the real crisis here is literacy.”
Several residents urged commissioners to appoint trustees who would represent the county broadly; others urged commissioners to choose trustees who, in their view, would protect children or protect library staff and patrons. Julie Burns, one of the nominees the board considered, said, “I will bring true diversity to the library board for the first time,” and pledged to seek compromise.
After public comment, the board approved the consent calendar — which included multiple appointments and committee assignments — by roll call vote. Several speakers said they expected continued debate at the library-board level and emphasized the need for commissioners to balance competing community views.
The meeting record shows the matter prompted extended public participation and sharply divergent testimony but does not show any formal reversal, lawsuit filing, or new policy change enacted by the county commission during this meeting. Commissioners moved on to other agenda items after the consent calendar vote.
