[Libs-Or] Response to Concerns from Commissioner Boice

[Rawles, Carolyn]

I don’t think the library is an independent entity in Douglas County?
I’m not sure who John Paine is, but is he from Oregon?  He may not know the laws here?

Carolyn

Carolyn Rawles
Library Director
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
Corvallis, OR  97330

(541)766-6910

Enrich|Excite|Explore





From: Libs-Or [mailto:libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Traci Willey
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2016 8:04 PM
To: libs-or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: [Libs-Or] Response to Concerns from Commissioner Boice

I received this response, which I found very interesting. -Traci


Dear Commissioner Boice,

I appreciate your effort to respond to the petition that I signed, however, your response is lacking in several important particulars:

1. You did not reference the State law to which you refer, and speaking from a position of some knowledge about the complexity of state law, I cannot accept your statement at face value without the pertinent reference.

Given the status of the library as an independent (by governance) institution even though it is financially dependent on the community, I am not surprised that they would reference only links to “pro” articles and letters to the editor in the paper. You effort to compel them to advocate for their own elimination seems misguided, and contrary to the position of the leadership of the library.

2. You inaccurately refer to the site as being "disrupted", by which I take it to mean it was shutdown at your or the Commission's direct order, a gross misrepresentation at best, and an abuse of authority at worst.

Directing the "disruption" of the library's website is clearly suppression of information by the commissioners, and is an unflattering picture of the means that the commission adopts to enforce its will (rather than that of the people) upon a motivated and enthusiastic defense on literacy and free access to information by the public. Any representation otherwise is intentionally misleading and certainly not steps taken to create a free and fair election by an informed electorate.

3. Kindly reserve your efforts to spin control without self-serving and incompetent claims of "Please don’t make false accusations without verifying the facts in the future."

A fourth note on standard business practice would be important to all future communications with the public: kindly do not "cc" all petitioners in a mass email in the future, which is surely a violation of the privacy laws in your state - the laws in which you place great concern in adjudicating all business before your commission. I suggest that future responses place the addresses in the 'blind copy" field to avoid such a problem.

Thank YOU,

John Paine


Disclaimer: This e-mail message is a public record of the City of Corvallis. The contents may be subject to public disclosure under Oregon Public Records Law and subject to the State of Oregon Records Retention Schedules. (OAR:166.200.0200-405)
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