In response to letters from Louisville council members that appeared in the May 23-29 issue of North Country This Week: I have always felt nothing but respect and regard for our elected Louisville leaders; in fact, I love one of them, but giving us written direction on how to vote is going way too far.

It was appalling to receive a letter from them baldly telling us to vote no to the library school district proposition. I would hope any Louisville resident no matter his/ her opinion would be deeply offended by their audacity. It seems a blatant violation of the law.

During this emotionally-charged time when someone has initiated a smear campaign against the library, complete with anonymous, professionally-made signs planted everywhere, I am inclined to wonder about the timing of this letter. Part of this campaign appears to involve some individuals posting political opinions and misinformation about the library on the Town Facebook Page which I had understood was intended for objective public notifications. When our local government leaders are prescribing our votes on such a divisive issue, I can’t help but ask myself if the next step will be a letter directing us how to vote in the coming presidential election.

In their letter the Town offers three reasons for their opposition. Reason #1: “The Town Board was not asked if they wanted to participate.” This is true simply because New York State has established the rules for assisting struggling libraries. However, all Louisville residents and the Town Board were invited to attend and participate in an informative presentation of this proposition including a detailed slideshow and articulate explanation by the librarian, who, with a representative from the North Country Library Association, answered all questions. I attended this presentation.

If this proposition passes and library support is funded more equally across the school district, the Library Board will be composed of representatives from Brasher, Louisville, Norfolk, as well as Massena.

Reason #2: “We may be forced by another community to pay its bills.” First of all, since we are all allowed to vote, the word “forced” seems a bit much. Secondly, Louisville has always been part of the Massena School District. It is not a separate entity in that respect. When I lived in Massena, I was a member of that district; now that I live in Louisville at a different address, I am still a member of the Massena School District. Massena Library IS the public library for our school district. It may have started as a municipal library in the early 1900s, but has long been designated an

educational institution serving our school district. For years, Massena, with its large tax base, easily paid the lion’s share to support the entire school district. That is no longer possible and Massena has not been able to fully fund the library’s operation and maintenance (though employee salaries were covered) for the past ten years. The library has managed with hard work procuring grants and with legacies. At this point, library reserves have been depleted.

Reason #3: “Do the taxpayers want or can they afford another tax?” It appears that regardless of opinion, we taxpayers are footing the cost of preparation and postage for this letter dictating how we should vote. Of course, no one wants a tax increase or thinks of it as affordable. This is more accurately a one-time “catch up “ increase for Louisville, Brasher and Norfolk. There will never be any new tax increase for the library unless the public votes on it in the same way we do for a new school bus. Because Massena has been paying more for so long, those taxpayers will see a decrease under this proposition.

In the past, Louisville recognized this disparity when then library director Paul Schafer presented a referendum to Louisville voters who approved a tax obligation of $9,000. This taxed obligation will be voided if the proposition succeeds.

Please acquaint yourself fully with all the information you need to make an informed vote. Call the librarian at the library if you have any questions for her or visit massenapubliclibrary.com. Do not let scare tactics confuse you. Do you want to continue allowing our Town Board to dictate our vote or shall we think for ourselves and vote on the facts and our values.

Marie Kirwan

Massena