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Library director warns staff to halt campaign-linked communications once override is live
Summary
Abbot Public Library Director Kimberly A. Grad told trustees she sought guidance from the Office of Campaign Finance and advised limiting staff communications and social-media use once a town override question is on the ballot; Friends/Foundation outreach and print materials have distinct allowances.
Abbot Public Library Director Kimberly A. Grad told the Board of Trustees on April 30 that the library has received legal guidance on communications tied to an upcoming taxpayer override question and that staff must avoid campaigning once the question appears on the ballot. Grad said the Office of Campaign Finance and Massachusetts Conflict of Interest Law guided the advice and emphasized limits on staff time and public-resources use.
Grad said website expenses for library content are covered by a private foundation, but that staff involvement in website content and social media should drop to zero after the question is placed on the ballot because such activity could be viewed as using public resources to influence a vote. She explained that printed informational materials may remain on display inside the library but that electronic alerts and social-media posts from library-managed accounts or Constant Contact are not permitted once the ballot question is live.
The director described a coordination plan with community partners: the Friends of the Library and the Abbot Public Library Foundation (APLF) may distribute materials and post fact-based content on their own channels, with support from a vendor named Hyphenate. Grad said training and technical assistance will be offered so Friends and APLF accounts can work with Hyphenate to post outreach content after Town Meeting.
The board discussed these restrictions as operational guidance rather than a policy vote. The director noted that Massachusetts Conflict of Interest Law applies to both appointed staff and elected officials, and that town-level legal guidance informed the library's approach. No formal action on communications policy was taken at the interim meeting; the board proceeded to other agenda items and adjourned at 1:00 p.m.
