Blowback continues over library board vote

By John Labriola - Anger over the recent removal of long-time conservative member Elaine Kleid from the Citrus County Library Advisory Board (LAB) continued to blow back on county leaders last week.

At last Monday's Republican Executive Committee (REC) meeting, County Commissioner Janet Barek, who sits on the REC board as the State Committeewoman, was repeatedly challenged for her vote against Kleid, who also sits on the REC board as Secretary. One REC member after another berated Barek, drawing loud applause each time.

One member accused Barek, who narrowly defeated former Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach last year by campaigning as a conservative Republican, of betraying her voters and showing her fellow REC board member disrespect by ousting her from the library board. 

Kleid, who served on the nine-member LAB since 2019, was a well-respected conservative voice on the board. She opposed LGBT Pride displays in the libraries and also made the successful motion to end the library system's membership in the far-left American Library Association, which promotes "Drag Queen Story Hours" and targets children with explicit LGBT materials. 

Susan Long of Beverly Hills said she spent years fighting the LGBT agenda as an elementary school teacher in Massachusetts, where groups like the "Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network" would come into classrooms to teach young children about homosexual techniques. She said that kind of grooming shouldn't be tolerated in Citrus County.

"People in this county are conservative," Long said. "I believe in reading, writing and arithmetic and family, faith and freedom, and there's no way I want people who are against that agenda on the board."

Advisory board members who seek reappointment are very rarely removed, but Barek repeated her nonsensical excuse that she was trying to achieve geographical balance (although she originally moved to add a fourth LAB member from overrepresented District 5). 

"I took my time, I looked at where the candidates lived," Barek said. "Nothing on those sheets says Republican, Democrat, conservative or liberal... When it’s the library board, it involves all the districts in the county, not one. It doesn’t involve just conservates, it doesn’t involve just LGBTQ people. It involves everyone in our community."

That drew a rebuke from Mary Seader, a former School Board candidate.

"It's really sad that I have to hear someone say that it doesn't matter if you're conservative or liberal," she said. "When you're dealing with children, it matters."

Also feeling the backlash last week was Crystal Lizanich, the liberal Democrat Inverness city councilwoman who also sits on the Library Governing Body, the nominating panel made up mostly of county commissioners that appoints members to the LAB. Lizanich was very vocal in her demand to remove Kleid from the board. Only Commissioner Diana Finegan defended Kleid.

Tracy Snipes of Inverness urged the Inverness City Council on Tuesday to remove Lizanich from the Library Governing Body. 

"I was amazed at how Crystal came with a predetermined list of who she would support instead of taking into consideration the voices of the citizens who came to speak at that meeting... Crystal did not listen to our voices," Snipes said. "The community is family-oriented and conservative in majority. By not appointing members who want to protect children from radical agendas that push the LGBTQ theories, our elected officials have done a disservice."

Neal Carr of Crystal River also voiced his displeasure with Lizanich. 

"It's extremely rare for an incumbent member of an advisory body who seeks reappointment to be removed, but that's exactly what Crystal Lizanich did because she's a far-left LGBT activist," he said.

But their words fell on deaf ears, as council members fell over themselves to support Lizanich.

Mayor Bob Plaisted commended Lizanich for voting her heart, Councilwoman Linda Bega thanked her for doing "what's best for the overall," and Council President Jacquie Hepfer told her "as long as you vote your conscience and you know you've done the right thing, don't worry, you're doing a good job."

The Library Advisory Board will hold its first meeting since Kleid's removal this Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 9 a.m. in Room 166 of the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W Sovereign Path, Lecanto, FL 34461. The County Commission will be meeting later that day at 1 p.m. at the Citrus County Courthouse, 110 N. Apopka Ave., Inverness, FL 34450. Residents can address any topic during the Open to the Public segment at the beginning of each of the two meetings. 

You can also email county leaders below:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sheriff doubles down on support for Biden's FBI

Image
By John Labriola - Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast is facing renewed criticism for bragging about his ongoing cooperation with the Biden Justice Department in rounding up January 6 protesters and declaring them criminals before a trial.  Last week, Prendergast announced his department partnered with the FBI in the May 2 arrest of a Homosassa man who is being charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, demonstration at the U.S. Capitol. It was the second time in less than 10 weeks that the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) has participated in the arrest of a January 6 protester. On Feb. 27, sheriff's deputies and FBI agents arrested Jesse Rumson , 37, of Lecanto, in a predawn shock and awe raid complete with a full SWAT team, two armored vehicles, concussion grenades and a helicopter. Rumson, who is awaiting trial on several felony counts, has publicly denied the charges and is seeking a dismissal based partly on what he calls his uncon...
Read more

Commissioner Davis demands $$$ for pro-LGBT, anti-white tourism plan

Image
By John Labriola - In a cringeworthy display of "woke" virtue-signaling, liberal Citrus County Commissioner Holly Davis last week trashed her recently deceased father as a racist while defending her support for a plan to spend $55,000 in hotel bed taxes on a "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" (DEI) tourism advertising campaign to promote more LGBT and less white Christian family-oriented tourism to Citrus County.  "My dad was born and raised in Forrest City, Arkansas, which is named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder of the Ku Klux Klan. I don't know if it was until the day he died, but at least until 10 years before he passed, he would actually say that an interracial couple was just trying to make noise and be noticed," said Davis, who congratulated herself on overcoming  her father's views. " I now actually have black friends, and I didn't go out hunting them! I'm not trying to make sure I have my diversity in my group; I just na...
Read more

My recommendations for the Aug. 20 primary

Image
United States Senator: Rick Scott Representative in Congress: Gus Bilirakis Citrus County Sheriff: David Vincent Superintendent of Schools: Scott Hebert County Commission Seat 1: Curtiss “CJ” Bryant County Commission Seat 3: Janet Barek State Committeeman: Greg Hoying State Committeewoman: Janet Barek Circuit Judge Group 7: Derek Saltsman Circuit Judge Group 13: Zach McCormick Circuit Judge Group 20: Ben Boylston County Judge Group 3: Amber Thomas Citrus County School Board: Ken Frink Early Voting has begun! See the Early Vote schedule HERE . To find out where to vote on Election Day, click HERE .
Read more