Hillsdale City Council votes to remove school board representation from library board

HILLSDALE — The Hillsdale Community Schools Board of Education no longer has a right to representation on the board of trustees for the Hillsdale Community Library.

The Hillsdale City Council voted 6-3 Monday, May 1, in favor of a controversial ordinance change proposed March 6 by Councilman Joshua Paladino to strike language from the city’s code of ordinances allowing for the school board to select one of its members to sit on the five member library board.

The nearly 50-year-old tradition became controversial when the school board voted unanimously to select Democrat Dan LaRue, elected to the school board in 2022, as its representative.

LaRue, who also serves on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, was outspoken against Paladino, who also serves on the library board, last summer when Paladino spearheaded efforts to bar LGBTQIA+ books from being available in the children’s section of the city’s public library.

The council turned down LaRue’s appointment to the library board March 6 and Mayor Adam Stockford — charged with making appointments with approval of the Hillsdale City Council — has publicly apologized for even allowing his appointment to proceed to the full council as he “knew it would be controversial.”

Stockford said he attempted to work with the school board since January to get an alternate nominee but was unsuccessful and that he advanced LaRue’s nomination to the full council to appease the school board. And for that he apologized.

A number of citizens spoke during the public hearing both in favor and opposed to Paladino’s proposal, with those in favor arguing it was “simply good governance” and allowed the mayor to have full control over city appointments.

Those opposed asked why “fix something that isn’t broken” and even went as far as to claim the proposal had an underlying agenda: to fill the library board with those with similar ideologies as Paladino and censure books.

Barry Hill, a resident of Ward 4, went as far to claim that if the council had been successful in its attempt to persuade the school board into nominating former Councilman Pat Flannery the controversial proposed ordinance change would not have been brought forward.

“If you don’t like the outcome, change the rules,” Hill said.

More: ‘Controversial books’ saga debuts at Hillsdale city council

More: Hillsdale librarian resigns in wake of failed LGBTQIA+ children's book ban proposal

LaRue himself also spoke during public comment, saying, “I won’t apologize for wanting to serve the community, but I want to apologize to the community. I don’t feel like this would be before this board if it was anyone else nominated for this board.”

During council member comments, Stockford and a number of other council members spoke in favor of the ordinance change.

“If I’m going to get all the crap for everything that happens on boards and all the controversies, I want to be the person who picked the person,” Stockford said.

Councilman Greg Stuchell made a motion to approve Paladino’s proposal and Councilman Tony Vear seconded it, bringing it to a roll call vote. Councilwoman Cynthia Pratt and Councilmen Gary Wolfram and Bruce Sharp voted against it.

The remainder of the council, including Stockford, approved striking language from the city code allowing for the school board to choose a representative.

Subcribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.

The library board continues to have one vacancy, leaving the board of trustees to a board of four. It is unknown when Stockford may bring up a new nominee for consideration.

Paladino served on the library board prior to winning the November 2022 election for an open Ward 4 council seat against Penny Swan and continued in that position after taking office Jan. 1.

He was at the center of ongoing controversy within the library itself for most of 2022 when he spearheaded efforts to remove LGBTQIA+ books from the children’s section of the library. The controversy led to several hours-long library board meetings and the resignation of two librarians.

— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale City Council removes school board rep from library board