53 applicants for 6 seats: Newcomers, incumbents vie for Greenville County Library Board

On Monday, 53 applicants for Greenville County Library System Board of Trustees introduced themselves to Greenville County Council.

Only six seats are up for grabs as county council is set to appoint board members at its Tuesday, Nov. 7 meeting.

Each applicant had several minutes to explain their background and why they sought a seat on the contentious board.

Out of the 53 applicants, six are incumbents, including chairman Allan Hill, Tommy Hughes, Joe Poore, Elizabeth Collins, Marcia Moston and William Pinkston.

Ten applicants have experience as a librarian or received schooling to become a librarian, though experience is not a requirement for board service. To be considered for an open seat, a candidate must be registered to vote in Greenville County and have attended at least one library board meeting.

Next week, Greenville County Council will appoint 6 members to fill the open seats during a Committee of the Whole meeting through a ballot.

Greenville County Library Board responsibilities

Greenville County Library Board members make decisions about the library system's finances and operations. The board also employs the executive director, currently Beverly James.

GCLS’ Board of Trustees have a controversial history. Both current and former employees said the conservative board perpetuates a “culture of fear.”

The Board recently voted 6 to 4 to remove themed displays from all facilities ― unless concerning “paid holidays observed by both Greenville County Government and Greenville County Library System." This concluded a months-long debate about library displays.

In April, the Board mandated a policy requiring branches to seek permission to put up displays if they promoted certain regulated materials.

Then, in June, GCLS asked Travelers Rest branch staff to remove a display including titles like Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Tennessee Williams' “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” The TR branch manager then replaced the display with a Pride display from last year, reading “Read with Pride.” He was asked to take it down. He didn’t.

Later, the board reached a decision to give libraries a week before they remove Pride Month-related displays. Pride Month would be over by that point. They then gave themselves three months to develop a display policy. No themed displays were allowed during that time.

Now, GCLS represents the only known library system in the US to eliminate themed displays, according to board member Bill Pinkston, who asked librarians to research other libraries with the same policy.

Who are the board members seeking reappointment?

Six seats on the board are open for grabs, with six incumbents hoping to serve another term.

Out of the candidates seeking reappointment, Hill, Collins and Moston recently voted for the removal of themed displays. Hughes and Poore voted against the motion, while Pinkston abstained.

In Sept., advocates for the library presented a petition with 2,000 signatures to Greenville County Council asking for the Hill's removal.

“Hill and several board members following his leadership have wasted resources on micromanaging internal library functions, blatantly violating First Amendment rights of the public and overreaching their authority in an attempt to directly manage county employees,” read the petition.

Hill’s application revealed his agenda for reapplying for the board after serving since 2000: “ensure conservative representation of the public on the library board.”

“Strong leadership is needed to help the Library remain a neutral zone in the current cultural battles, so as to avoid the appearance that the Library is choosing a side or promoting any certain agenda over another,” his application further stated.

Moston also held similar concerns portrayed in her application.

"As much as I would like to say literacy or perhaps communication, I think the political and cultural tensions that are apparent throughout the country are on our doorstep also," she wrote, answering a question regarding community topics of concern relating to the Board. "How to navigate the library's role in these matters is a concern."

Who are the applicants?

As expected, many of the issues reflected in Board meetings come up in library board applications.

For example, one applicant, Susana Torke, wrote in her application regarding her biggest concern: “change of leadership within the Travelers Rest library.”

Recently, GCLS hired Ray Arnett, a senior pastor at the Fellowship Baptist Church of Anderson, as Nathan Schmaltz's successor as the Travelers Rest library branch manager.

Other concerns included promoting literacy and ensuring the library shines as a community asset.

"The reason I applied for the Board of Trustees was because I've watched the library over the last several months, and it occurs to me that the library leadership is operating from a position of fear ... I believe that the library needs to be led from a position of courage, not fear," applicant Daniel Threlfall told the Greenville News on Monday.

Savannah Moss covers Greenville County politics and growth/development. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on X @savmoss.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville County Library Board: Contentious seats to be appointed