Two Daytona Beach city commissioners object to a recent book giveaway they saw as partisan
DAYTONA BEACH — Daytona Beach city commissioners Wednesday night delved into a tense discussion about a recent book giveaway that two commission members say was politically tinged and should not have been held at a government facility.
The trigger was an Oct. 7 city-sponsored event held to give away 32,000 books and treat kids to a day of fun with bounce houses, face painting, hot dogs and Italian ice.
Mayor Derrick Henry, a longtime teacher and school administrator, helped organize the event, and he was thrilled to see hundreds of kids, their parents and teachers walk away with every one of the 32,000 books.
Also at the rally, however, was a "banned bookmobile" backed by a left-leaning organization that in the words of Commissioner Monica Paris at the Oct. 6 meeting, was advocating for one political party over another.
Commissioner Stacy Cantu also objected to the partisanship and to drive home her point, took off her blazer to show the T-shirt she had on underneath which read "DeSantis Voters Matter," something she said she would never ordinarily do at a commission meeting.
The mayor said he would do the book giveaway again, and that in his 11-year tenure, he has "not partnered in anything better than this event."
The donated books were worth more than $300,000, he noted.
How did Daytona get into a banned book argument?
The city advertised the book giveaway for weeks and presented it as a family-friendly event. City flyers had pictures of smiling kids holding books, and the promotional materials noted tens of thousands of books for kids in kindergarten through 12th grade would be handed out.
Just before the event, Paris said some local residents had seen things online that suggested organizers were criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis and saying they were fighting back against book bans in the state.
Paris questioned if it was appropriate for the city to be involved, much less hosting it at the city government-owned Dickerson Center in Midtown. It cost the city $2,500 to host the event.
The mayor said he didn't see a problem, and a few commissioners pushed back on the notion of keeping books out of kids' hands.
It's not about the books
Cantu said her problem with both the "Stay Woke Votercade" which came through the area and the book giveaway is that they brought politics to city government property, and city workers paid with tax dollars made both events happen.
She said her protest has nothing to do with who should have access to books.
"What people do in their own time is fine, but the city of Daytona Beach is a non-partisan municipality and should not be involved in partisan politics," Cantu said.
She said she wants the city to start checking events for partisan connections, a proposal commissioners would have to vote on.
City Commissioner Paula Reed said she doesn't have any concerns about the book giveaway.
"Parents were there giving kids permission to have books," Reed said. "There was no political motivation for this. We're making a mountain out of a molehill."
She said if Cantu had come to the event she would have seen it was harmless.
'A partisan bloodbath'
The fiery discussion among commissioners charged up at least a few people sitting in the audience at Wednesday night's meeting.
Cynthia Slater, longtime president of the Volusia County-Daytona Beach branch of the NAACP, had a few outbursts while Cantu was talking, and Cantu shot back.
When Slater got her turn to speak to commissioners for three minutes, she made her feelings clear.
"How dare you try to limit the education of our children when it comes to reading," Slater said.
She said the book giveaway was "exceptional," and it was ironic that it was held in a building that for many years was a segregated high school for Black teenagers, and then a segregated elementary school for Black kids.
Henry said the city has been involved in literacy efforts in the past, and the city government sometimes crosses paths with politics.
The National Teachers Union and Florida Education Association Teachers Union are the nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations the city partnered with on the book giveaway, he said.
He conceded that the "Florida Education Association may have some partisan tendencies," but he pointed out that both the local fire department union and police chiefs association endorse political candidates and hold community events.
He said he told both education groups he didn't want to be part of "a partisan bloodbath" or start a "civil war in our community." He asked if they had any banned books, and he determined none of the books they offered were banned by the Volusia County School District.
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Henry said he just wants to help kids succeed in life.
"The single biggest predictor of high academic achievement is reading to children," the mayor said. "Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night to sit down and read them wonderful books."
You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach book giveaway sparks tense city commission discussion
