News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The Alpena County Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 at its meeting Tuesday to replace all of the members of the Alpena County Library Board. The commissioners have pressured the library to relocate children and teen books that some people find sexually explicit.

ALPENA — The Alpena County Board of Commissioners voted six to one Tuesday to begin the process of removing all of the members of the Alpena County library board after library board members failed to act on some residents’ concerns about controversial books.

Current library board members can apply for reappointment but are not assured of being appointed.

For months, several residents have spoken out at public meetings about children and teen books that contain sexually graphic material. Many residents called on the library board to move the books out of the children’s and teens’ sections of the library. Some residents have urged Alpena County voters to vote down the proposed renewal of a property tax that funds the library.

Other residents, however, have said the books help families talk to children about difficult topics or may provide young people their only avenue to learn about sex and sexuality and ought to stay where they are. Many residents have urged passage of the library tax proposal because of the numerous services the library provides the community.

Library officials have said they abide by professional standards when deciding which books go where in the library.

Commissioner John Kozlowski voted against replacing the entire library board. Commissioner Bill Peterson left the meeting before the vote to take care of personal business.

The president of the library board, Joe Garber, declined to comment.

The library board has received concerns during its meetings for two years over the content of some books, but, according to county commissioners, never engaged or worked on a solution to the issue.

“I don’t think the library board has taken the people of Alpena County seriously,” Commissioner Brenda Fournier said. “I believe they will continue to do what they want to do, regardless of what anybody says. I don’t have a problem with starting over with an entire new board.”

It will take time to change members of the board, however.

First, the commissioners will have to follow a process to remove each member individually, post the vacant positions for 30 days, review and interview candidates, and finally vote to oust the current members and appoint new ones.

The process could take two to three months.

Several people who are part of a local movement to have the books moved and vowed to vote against the millage said they now will vote to support the property tax renewal because the commissioners are taking action. They have also said they will take down yard signs that oppose the millage.

Bruce Heath, who has been vocal about the books, said the commissioners listened to a majority of their constituents and did the right thing.

“I’m going to tell everyone to take the signs down and to support the millage,” Heath said. “We got what we wanted, and the board took action.”

Most of the commissioners were critical of the library board over the way it handled the issue and controversy surrounding the children and teen books. They said some board members hadn’t even read or looked at the books in question and refused to budge on their position about the placement of the books or work with those opposed to the books’ current placement to find a resolution.

“They have had two years to do something and haven’t,” Commissioner Travis Konarzewski said. “Them sticking their head in the sand is not going to fix anything. I think that is the biggest problem with the people in our community. They have had questions for two years and they haven’t gotten any answers. That is why they are here and not there. I think we need to do something, and if there is a process, I think we need to get it started today.”

Kozlowski, who has been critical of the library board in the past, said he believes the library board needs to consist of people with different beliefs, walks of life, and political ideologies. He said having one shared point of view held by the entirety of the board is not what a public library needs.

“We have all seen the books and I 100% don’t agree with the library that they are educational books and they should be located in the children’s and teen section,” he said. “But I just don’t know if the best action is to eliminate the entire board. I feel, by doing so, we may open up the door to other groups who may not agree with something and demand someone or something else be eliminated. Have they taken this issue as seriously as they should have? No. But I don’t think eliminating the whole board is necessarily the right answer, either.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.