Idaho Statesman Voter Guide: Who’s running for library trustee races in Ada County?

In the past few months, Treasure Valley libraries have been the target of groups seeking to ban sexually explicit books and remove titles from collections. Now, Boise-area voters will determine new trustees who will be responsible for library policies.

Both the Meridian Library District and the Ada Community Library trustees made headlines in recent weeks — Meridian for a failed effort from some residents to defund the taxing district and the Ada Community board for attempting to remove titles from its collection.

Trustee seats in Meridian, Ada Community and Kuna Library districts are all on Ada County’s May 16 election ballot. The Idaho Statesman sent surveys to each of the candidates, and their responses are copied below, unedited, under their corresponding library districts.

Library trustees are responsible for setting the district’s budget every year, evaluating the library director, attending monthly meetings and establishing polices for purchasing books and distributing library materials. In Idaho, trustees serve either four-year or six-year terms.

The election comes at a contentious time for libraries in Idaho and across the country. Recent failed bills in the Idaho Legislature would have let parents sue libraries for instances their children obtained sexually explicit books, reflecting a national trend. Another proposed bill last year would have jailed librarians who allowed minors to obtain “harmful” material; a similar proposal made it into law in Arkansas.

Early voting is open until Friday, May 12. To find your polling place visit the Ada County Elections website.

Meridian Library election

In Meridian, two incumbents are seeking reelection to their trustee seats: Josh Cummings and Destinie Hart. Cummings faces challenger David Tizekker, a Meridian father who was born and raised in the suburb. In the Idaho Statesman candidate questionnaire, Tizekker said he was running because of the “discourse and extremism around the library.”

He said he believes both the actions of both the Concerned Citizens of Meridian, the group that circulated the petition to dissolve the library district, and the current library trustees are “extreme and unnecessary.”

“The current board has said parents need to decide on what books our kids can read, but will not allow the tools to do so,” Tizekker said. “They say there is no need for community standards on books in the library. I would like to see input from parents with community ratings and recommendations on various books or media.”

Cummings, a real estate broker, was also appointed to the board in August 2022. He is running on an anti-censorship platform and “believes every family has the right to decide what materials they consume.”

“I would not be the man I am today were it not for the impact of public libraries, and I feel that my service as a trustee is one small way that I can repay the debt I owe to the institution,” Cummings wrote in his questionnaire.

Cummings and Tizekker are running for four-year terms.

Hart was appointed to the Meridian library board in August 2022, according to the board’s website. She opposes removing any titles from the library’s collection, she said in the Statesman questionnaire.

“Free access to information is foundational to a healthy democracy,” Hart said. “It is a parent’s role to make decisions regarding their child’s access to library materials based on their own family values and parenting philosophy.”

Her challenger, Xavier Torres, did not respond to the Statesman questionnaire or multiple requests for comment. The two are running for a six-year term.

Ada Community Library election

Two trustee seats for the Ada Community Library, referred to as the Ada County Free Library on the ballot, are up for election. Sandra Taylor, a current trustee serving a four-year term, faces challenger Deborah Pogue.

Pouge did not respond to the Statesman questionnaire or multiple requests for comment.

Taylor, a Hidden Springs resident, is running for reelection “to be an advocate for our library here in Hidden Springs and to be a part of insuring the availability of library access to all, young and old.”

On the question of what books and topics should be included in the Ada Community Library, Taylor said she thinks the library needs to “develop a means by which inappropriate material is kept out of the hands of minors.”

“As a trustee, we are bound to follow the Idaho law regarding inappropriate reading materials and their access to minors, but that doesn’t automatically mean we ban or remove them,” Taylor said. “I welcome ideas from patrons for ways we can protect kids from harmful materials and still have books available for the adults who choose to read them.”

The Ada Community Library trustees voted to remove six books from their collection last month. The books were common entries in lists of frequently banned books, the trustees said at the time. However, the board acknowledged they had violated Idaho’s open meeting law after the Statesman published a story about the vote. The vote was not properly designated as an action item on the agenda, making it void.

Library Director Mary DeWalt told the Statesman in an email that the vote was taken verbally, and no one asked for a roll call vote. Taylor did not respond to Statesman questions about how she voted.

Amy Fife, the second sitting trustee, is not running for reelection. Mary Anne Saunders, Melodie Huttash and Rene Trommler are running to replace her for a six-year term.

Saunders is retired but manages rentals in the Treasure Valley. Before retirement, Saunders was an administrator for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. She is running for a trustee position because she was disturbed by the attacks on libraries in Idaho and throughout the country, she said in the Statesman questionnaire.

“I wish to participate in turning this around to reflect the actual deep support of libraries by our communities,” Saunders said.

Huttash, a Boise resident, is running for a trustee position after serving on her local homeowner’s association board.

“I have a great love for libraries and strongly believe they are a great safe haven for individuals and families to educate, learn and enjoy,” she said.

Trommler did not respond to the Statesman questionnaire or multiple requests for comment.

Kuna Library election

The city of Kuna has one library trustee seat up for election this month. The incumbent, Barbara Powell, is running for reelection against challenger Teresa Haldorson. Powell was elected to the library board for a four-year term in 2019.

Powell responded to the Statesman questions in a phone interview because she doesn’t use email.

Haldorson is a Meridian resident and nurse. She and Powell differ in their views on removing titles from the Kuna Library collection.

Powell said, in her questionnaire, that it is up to parents to decide what their children should read, not the library’s. Haldorson said library materials need to be in “age-appropriate areas,” and “access to questionable materials needs to be in accordance to state laws.”

State law does not require libraries to restrict access to certain books.