Radical bureaucrats and officials are known for their persistence and unwillingness to surrender — especially when it comes to keeping obscene material in schools and libraries. And too often, conservatives simply give up when faced with them.

But in Kootenai County, Idaho, a group of citizens — with help from MassResistance — refused to accept the status quo. Here’s an update to the battle going on there.

Electing a New Conservative Library Board

The Community Library Network in Kootenai County is one of Idaho’s largest public library districts. Two years ago, its Library Board had a 4-1 majority of arrogant pro-LGBT leftists who supported including obscene materials in the children’s section. The Board Chairman was particularly hostile and condescending toward parents who complained.

But in the May 2023 county election, following a months-long education campaign across the county by local activists, two leftist Library Board incumbents were voted out! They were replaced by people who had campaigned on removing the explicit materials.

The new Board meets in September 2023. New Chairman is at right. The two remaining leftists, second and third from left, do not look happy. [Photo: Coeur D’Alene Post Falls Press]

Conservatives achieved a 3-2 majority! The lone conservative from the previous Board was made Chairman. And the previous Chairman was now one of the two remaining leftists (an so relatively impotent).

The new conservative Board was faced with obstacles. A month before the election, the previous Board — sensing an upset — hired a new far-left pro-LGBT Library Director and gave her a sweetheart contract including a large payout if the new Board fired her. And there already was a leftist library staff. So the new Board’s work was cut out for them!

Great Changes Take Place

Pro-LGBT library boards get lots of information, strategy, and legal advice from a variety of national leftist organizations. In this case, MassResistance helped correct that by connecting the Library Board with pro-family legal groups, library board members in other states, and people with practical advice and information.

Within months, the new Library Board got right to work:

• The Board followed the lead of other libraries across the country and cut ties with the horrible pro-LGBT American Library Association.
• They began drafting a very strong collections policy — modeled after the one we helped implement in Campbell County, WY — that would keep out harmful sexual material for children and teenagers. It would also make it easier for the public to successfully challenge existing material. (This is all in accordance with the new Idaho law H710, which Idaho MassResistance activists helped push earlier this year in the Idaho Legislature.)
• They also started working on a policy which allowed them to evaluate, document, and discipline the Library Director if she defied the Board or did not comply with the policies.

The Left’s Hysterical Reaction to Pro-Family Changes

Not surprisingly, these moves faced considerable pushback from area leftists. The local newspaper has repeatedly attacked the new Library Board majority as “far right” and even published a nasty cartoon of the Chairman. Both of the former leftist Board members who lost the 2023 election continued attending Board meetings along with other local leftists to condemn the current Board and even disrupt meetings. One threatened litigation against them.

But the Board members stood tall and refused to be intimidated.

First Wave of Resignations

The pressure began to affect the radicals running the library. In February 2024, two branch library managers and the library system’s communication specialist resigned. We believe that several others also quit, but that their departures were kept quiet.

Board Revealed That the New Strong Policies Were Close to Being Passed

At the beginning of June 2024, it was revealed that the Board was set to pass the new policy on collections and book challenges. They formally voted on June 17. It is one of the strongest in the country.

The Board also announced that they were close to passing the policy for disciplining the Library Director — which is also one of the strongest of its kind in America.

Big Resignations — and a Good New Hire

The major leftist library figures resigned within days of each other when they realized the Board majority was not backing down!

The latest news showed that the Board was not stopping and not backing down. The radicals got the message — and clearly were shocked and angry.

1. On June 7, the Library Director announced her resignation. Because she resigned and was not fired, she does not receive the huge severance package that the previous Board purposely put into her contract.
2. On June 18, one of the two remaining hard-leftists on the Library Board resigned. She was the former Chairman, and had been on the Board for 30 years. She told the local newspaper that she “cannot watch the destruction of this library system, and that’s what feels like is happening … As part of the minority, I was being silenced continually.” In other words, she was getting a taste of her own medicine and couldn’t deal with it!
3. Several days later, the Library Board appointed a pro-family replacement to serve out the resigning Board member’s term. There is now a 4-1 conservative majority! The new member said, “I believe what I can bring to the table is my love for the library and protection for the children.”
4. On July 3, a new Library Director was hired by the Library Board. The new Library Director is moving to Idaho from New Hampshire to take the job. This person does not appear to have any offensive “baggage,” and people are looking forward to his arrival.

This Library Board is getting the job done.

Final Thoughts

As we see, radical leftists believe so strongly in pushing destructive perversions on children that they will leave their jobs rather than simply conform to reasonable standards. Thus, it’s necessary to fearlessly stand up to them — and not wilt from the pressure and intimidation from leftists and attacks in the biased press. The Library Board members in Kootenai County are an inspiration for the rest of America!

Copyright 2024 MassResistance. Republished with permission.