Residents urge Lewis County to act after leaked memo alleges Timberland trustee politicized library levy

During public comment on June 16, several callers from Olympia and other areas addressed the board to urge action on governance of the Timberland Regional Library.

Kylie McCory, co-founder of the Patron Coalition for Local Libraries, said a leaked memo and flyers suggest trustee Brian McGee intends to "use the library's current state of financial disarray to advance his own political agenda," and accused him of decisions that led to staff layoffs, branch closures and a multimillion-dollar deficit. McCory asked the commissioners to meet with other counties and the county attorney to review possible actions, including removing the trustee from his appointed role.

Asen Lerette called the library to be saved through a levy lift and criticized commissioners who the speaker said had not adequately researched levy strategies. Ray Chapman Wilson read an excerpt he attributed to a Lewis County commissioner and urged neighbors to vote in the upcoming county commissioner election.

A commissioner responded in the public-comment period, saying they had not seen the specific document until the morning and that "nowhere in that list does it say to ban books or to remove books," and expressed support for trustees Hal Blandon and Brian (surname variably reported). That speaker also said the referenced document was found on Reddit.

The commissioners did not take formal action on trustee appointments at the meeting. Several callers asked the board to (1) convene an intercounty meeting with other boards that appoint Timberland trustees, and (2) consult the county attorney about possible steps to remove or restrain the trustee if warranted. Those requests were recorded in testimony but no formal directive to staff was taken during the meeting.

Ending note: Commissioners heard multiple public comments on the matter; any formal review or legal steps would require separate action.