Carter Nordman, R-Panora, Dismisses the Concerns of Thousands of Iowa Public Library Supporters

In an authoritarian move, he uses his legislative power to undermine our libraries and democracy...

I’ve attended two hearings this week where Iowa Republicans sought to potentially defund our libraries and remove our independent library boards at the Iowa Capitol.

Iowa librarians and library board members gathered at the Capitol on Monday to share their strong opposition to Senate Study Bill 3131 introduced by local government chairperson, Republican State Senator Jesse Green from Harcourt in Boone County. I wrote about it here.

After hearing input from citizens, librarians, and library board members Green agreed to remove the part of the bill that made the required tax to fund libraries optional but said he was still considering removing independent library boards and giving their responsibilities to city councils. I don’t know the bill's status in the Senate, but I hear it’s dead. Let’s hope so. As far as I know, members of the public at the Senate meeting were all librarians or library board members. All spoke against the bill. There were hundreds of online comments against the bill. I saw none for it.

Green listened respectfully, asked questions, and heard their concerns, and hopefully pulled his bill.

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At the top of this page is a photo I took of the meeting Thursday, where a House committee considered House Study Bill 678, which is much like Senate Study Bill 3131 in putting our library boards at risk. According to the Des Moines Register:

House Study Bill 678 would repeal the process requiring city officials to put any proposed change to the library board in front of voters; only after a majority vote in approval can the city proceed with the change.

With that referendum process removed, city councils could unilaterally remove and replace members of the library board. The bill would also empower them to oversee hiring a library director and decide how tax dollars for library projects and initiatives are spent.

Radio Iowa has a great story here.

So does Iowa Public Radio here.

The Gazette here.

Iowa Starting Line here.

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Wade Dooley (above), who chairs the library board in Albion, called the bill a train wreck.

“It opens up all sorts of possibilities for very disastrous consequences if you get an activist city council that starts see-sawing on what they believe for a library to be or not be,” he said. “Our city council has barely any training to be a city council. Now you also want them to run a library? I’m sorry, but that’s not a good idea.”

Dooley was spot on, and as a former member of the Knoxville Public Library Board for maybe 12 years, I couldn’t agree more. Representative Nordman couldn’t care less.

Rep. Carter Nordman, R-Panora, voted to advance the bill. He said even though no one supported the bill at the subcommittee meeting, he’s heard from city council members who support it.

“City council funds the libraries. There’s personnel issues, there are taxpayer dollars being spent. And these are the individuals who are elected to make those decisions,” Nordman said. “So if there’s issues with the library board, I think the buck stops at the city council.”

Nordman didn’t care what anyone in the room had to say. He asked no questions, and smugly dismissed the concerns of the 30 or so librarians and library board members present who had driven in from all over the state. He waved a few sheets of paper in front of us, which supposedly represented comments from constituents in support of the bill, and quickly dismissed the concerns of those in the room like they were wasting his time.

According to the Register.

Rep. Jane Bloomingdale, R-Northwood, voted to advance the bill but said she had "reservations."

And Rep. Jerome Amos Jr., D-Waterloo, a former city councilman, strongly criticized the bill before voting against advancing it.

"There's no reason in the world why we as legislators should be moving this to a city council," Amos Jr. said.

Here are the public comments. Between comments on this bill and on Senate Bill 3131 there are likely thousands of them. All in support of our public libraries and independent library boards. I don’t see any comments in support of either bill.

Nordman doesn’t care. Where Green thoughtfully listened and engaged library supporters in the Senate hearing, Nordman showed no such respect—only arrogance.

Nordman apparently thinks he can wave a few sheets of paper in our faces to show he has the support of Iowans where thousands of Iowans have thoughtfully and publically shared their concerns that it is a terrible and destructive bill. It’s all performance. He has little or no support.

So why are Nordman and other Republicans across the nation attacking our public libraries? It’s part of a broader effort many Republicans are making nationally to undermine our institutions and democracy. It also creates chaos and distraction, and pulls media attention away from other important matters.

Talking with librarians before and after both hearings this week, they know exactly what Nordman is doing. For just one example, I don’t know how many conversations I had where librarians wondered why Nordman and other Republicans were attacking libraries and the LGBTQ+ community and not doing anything to actually help Iowans. Like supporting public schools, helping feed hungry children, addressing our mental health crisis and much, much more.

Under the Reynolds administration and the broader MAGA world, our future looks increasingly authoritarian.

Yet, I have great hope. With their attacks, Republicans have rallied the defenders of our public libraries, who are at the heart of our great democracy and nation, and they are fighting back against the rising tide of authoritarianism.

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