ST. CHARLES COUNTY — Amid public calls for reforms and oversight at St. Charles County libraries, the County Council on Tuesday approved the appointment of a new library board trustee.
The vote was unanimous — as was the vote to reappoint another trustee — as council members lauded the appointment made by St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann.Â
"Steve Ehlmann has done a nice job of trying to get some balance on the library board," said Councilman Joe Brazil.
William "Buddy" Hardin was appointed, and Matthew Seeds was reappointed.Â
The moves come as meetings of the St. Charles City-County Library Board have become a battleground for culture wars in recent months. St. Charles County residents have clashed over concerns regarding a library staffer's attire, children’s access to sexually explicit material and the makeup of the board itself.
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Hardin, 60, is a former candidate for the state House of Representatives and a longtime figure in St. Charles County Republican Party politics. He replaces Georganne MacNab, whose term expired on July 31. Hardin's term runs through 2026.Â
Seeds, who works as director of information systems for the county government, has at times been an outspoken critic of the library's administration.Â
In complimenting the pick on Tuesday, Brazil and several other council members criticized the library's administration. Ehlmann noted earlier this fall that he felt increased "pressure to appoint an avowed conservative" given the increased scrutiny on the board's political affiliations.Â
"With Mr. Hardin on the board, I think we now get a voice that echoes, I think, the majority of St. Charles County," County Councilman Tim Baker said Tuesday. "I look forward to more appointees like this."
Hardin and Seeds join a library board that consists of Staci Alvarez, Nevada Smith, Renee Tillmann, Justin Collier, TJ Rains, Melissa Setser and Josiah Schmidt.
Alvarez, Smith and Tillmann represent St. Charles County; the others are appointees from the city of St. Charles.
The next appointments to the library board likely won’t happen until next year, when the terms of Alvarez, Smith and Setser are set to expire.
After the St. Charles County Council passed a non-binding resolution asking the Library Board take certain steps, including telling the CEO to remain "politically neutral," local residents talked about the ongoing debate over the library's employees' attire. Video edited by Beth O'Malley
