Council Moves Forward on New Library Board Members
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County Council is expected to move ahead today in the selection process for choosing two additional at-large members for the County Library Board. Council members are expected to put forward their selections Friday from among the 43 applications.
The overwhelming majority of applicants earned post-secondary degrees including one M.D., eight Ph.D. 's, 12 master’s degrees, 15 four-year degrees, five two-year degrees and two with no degreed education beyond high school diplomas.
Some council members have previously indicated it would prefer more diversity on the board, which is currently made up entirely of women, with one minority representative.
Twenty-seven applicants are women and 16 men. The current seven-member library board, with one representative chosen by the council person of each district, is all women.
County Council Dist. 1 had the most applicants with 20, followed by Districts 2, 4, and 5 with five applicants, Dist. 6 with four applicants and Districts 3 and 7 with two applicants.
County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn said once council members have moved candidates ahead in the process, interviews would be scheduled, followed by a vote among council members on who they think are the best candidates.
The applicants for the Anderson County Library board’s two at-large seats are:
From Anderson: Addison Barton, Jay Blankenship, Annie Boyd, Lois Ann Buckman, Andrew Cannon, Maria W. Cushman, Laary Cushman, Dwight J. DeCarlo, Rhett A. Donaldson, Dr. Andrea Draisen, Jake Grove, Albert M. Howard, Jennifa Hunter, Philip Randy Jones, Teresa Jones, Jimmy R. Johnson, Mark Joczik, Mary Y. Kay, Elizabeth Kellner, Ellen King, Timothy A. Masters, Susan E. Melvin, Arthur Dewey Parr III, Betsy “Jenny” Presgraves. Mary Pickens, John Pinkerton, Marshall Price, Diann Sims, Kathryn Smith, Lindsay G. Smith, Kerry Swanson Jennifer Triplett, and Molly A. Watson.
From Belton: Jennifer Huber, Frances Russell, and Deborah Otto Sunderman.
From Easley: Steven D. Morgan and Sarabeth Stone.
From Iva: Krista Gray
From Pendleton: Richard Kevin Hardy and Suzanne Morse
From Piedmont: Tamara Cox
From West Pelzer: Kelly S. McCuen
The application included questions about employment history, ownership of property in the county, ownership of a library card, work/civic/volunteer service, and reasons for interest in the board.
The latter includes listing goals for serving in the position, and the following question:
“How would you approach a decision on a matter before the Board of Trustees which involves strong feelings by the citizens in favor of and in opposition to a matter before the Library Board of Trustees?”
It also asks applicants if they are willing to commit to reading any book which has been challenged as to its inclusion or placement in the library.
At the core of the issue for some citizens is the content of books located in the children’s library, which requires adult supervision from those under the age of 12. Over the past 18 months, 10 of the more than 30,000 books included in the children’s library have been challenged.