Just over a year ago, Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, got in a public debate with the Department of Archives and History over a lunch-and-learn program about LGBTQ history.
He was so mad about them hosting the program, he tried to rip $5 million away from the department in retaliation in a special session on redistricting, but his colleagues mercifully didn’t bother with it.
Now as he tries to remove the entire board and replace them with political appointments, he wants you to believe that it’s merely to fix a flaw in the way the board operates.
Perhaps even worse, on his bill to allow appointing authorities to remove library board members without cause, Elliott told Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham, that he “plays his cards face up,” immediately followed by a bald-faced lie: “This is about mayors concerned with budgets.”
We all know it’s in response to the perception that library board members are not removing certain books from the kids section. It’s been the hot new topic for months, but Elliott thinks you’ll fall for his weak pivot.
How much worse can it get?
Rep. Susan DuBose has been crying foul about the North Shelby Library District board’s pride display for months, as well as latching onto the library issue every time she can.
Now her legislative delegation has a bill to strip power away from the elected library board to put it in the hands of three MAGA Republicans, and how does Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, characterize the bill?
“It’s in response to concerns from constituents,” Moody told APR.
Then the trio of DuBose, Moody and Sen. Jim Cairns proceeded to send a statement shilling out that the bill would bring the board more in line with other districts that are elected by city and county bodies, despite having an opportunity to unseat board members in a proper election in just three months.
It’s an obvious desperate play to micromanage the library board and prevent the possibility that they can’t take over the board if the people vote.
