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Assembly withdraws library-materials ordinance after hours of public comment; LCAC duties to shift to library board
Summary
Assemblymember Bowles pulled ordinance 26-017 from tonight’s agenda after a lengthy exchange; residents filled the public-comment period with sharply divided views on library material, and the Assembly later approved ending the Library Citizens Advisory Committee and moving challenge responsibilities to the borough’s library advisory board (ordinance 26-008).
Assemblymember Michael Bowles removed ordinance 26-017 from the agenda and said education and community engagement were preferable to new regulation. The decision set off an extended public-comment period in which dozens of residents — parents, librarians, and advocates — testified for and against tighter controls on library materials.
Opponents of new limits framed the withdrawal as a win for intellectual freedom and argued certified policies already exist for challenges. “This or any proposal to censor books and materials at…
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