29-01-2025
The council voted on three appointments to the Library Board. Here's what was decided.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
A controversy-laden Library Board will see three returning members after a vote by the Corpus Christi City Council on Tuesday — but a fourth spot up for appointment remains undecided after a tie between the incumbent and an applicant who would be a new appointee couldn't be broken.
The four seats that had been in consideration represent what has been for the past year a minority vote on the nine-member advisory board, which has consistently seen a 5-4 split as discussions have transpired on how — or if — changes should be made to library policies.
Several members of the five-member majority — all appointed in November 2023 in a vote that ousted three then-incumbents — have vocally advocated for policy updates that would relocate certain books they have described as featuring sexually explicit content from the young adult section to the adult section of the library.
It's a conversation that took center stage throughout 2024 at meetings of the Library Board, which serves in an advisory capacity.
Reappointed in a split vote were Jennifer Anderson, a representative from the nonprofit Friends of Corpus Christi Libraries and a community engagement librarian at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and Carroll Matthews, a representative of La Retama Club and retired community advocate.
Returning to the board, also with split City Council support, is Alice Upshaw Hawkins, a Del Mar College adjunct professor.
The council deadlocked, however, in a 4-4 vote split between reappointing incumbent Dora Wilburn or appointing Samuel Fryer, who would be a new member.
Reshelving some material from the young adult section to the adult section would be a way to protect minors while keeping the books generally accessible, proponents have said. Board members in favor of doing so have said the intent is not to ban books.
Several board members voting in the minority have voiced concern about some of the suggestions, describing them as putting librarians in the position that should be the role of individual parents to make decisions for their teenagers and children.
In public comments spanning months, some community members have praised endeavors to revise policy — which currently allows any cardholder to borrow any books available in the library — as needed initiatives that address what they have described as objectionable content.
Opponents have contended some of the proposals by the board's majority represent a softer form of book banning, raising the specter of impending censorship and suppression of the First Amendment.
Hawkins and Wilburn were specifically named by some in public comment Tuesday with accusations that they endorsed access by minors to sexually explicit material. Critics described certain books as pornography.
After the meeting, both Hawkins and Wilburn dismissed those assertions.
There isn't pornography in the libraries, Hawkins said, adding that the idea that she would encourage minors to read pornography isn't accurate and doesn't make sense.
'As an educator, libraries, books — reading is what I'm about,' Hawkins said. 'There's no way that I would do damage to children when I'm trying to help them become educated and critical thinkers.'
Wilburn said late Tuesday that she has not made statements indicating that she supports minors having access to explicit material, describing the assertions as 'ridiculous.'
It's the librarians' jobs to determine the selection of books and where they are located, Wilburn said, not the board's, adding that who decides what may be checked out is up to parents.
Individuals who believe material is inappropriate can file a request for librarians to reconsider a book, she noted.
Mayor Paulette Guajardo and City Councilmen Roland Barrera, Mark Scott and Eric Cantu voted to reappoint the full slate of returning members.
City Councilman Everett Roy supported the incumbents with the exception of Wilburn, voting instead for Fryer.
City Councilwomen Kaylynn Paxson voted in favor of Matthews and Anderson but endorsed Fryer and Marcus Haas, who would be a new appointment.
City Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn voted in favor of Anderson, along with Fryer, Haas and Joshua Shelton, while City Councilman Gil Hernandez in his vote rejected all of the incumbents and supported Haas, Fryer and Shelton.
City Councilwoman Sylvia Campos did not participate in the appointment process after a legal opinion determined that she would have a conflict of interest.
Wilburn is related to Campos, city officials said.
The vote on the final seat, currently held by Wilburn, is anticipated to be revisited in two weeks.
The eight voting council members did not discuss in the meeting their choices in appointees.
Wednesday, council members who voted for new appointments either could not immediately be reached for comment or were not immediately available for comment.
Barrera, who had voted in favor of the four returning members, said Wednesday that each had done a good job on the board and there wasn't a reason not to reappoint them.
They 'were all highly qualified and had already been serving, I think, with distinction,' he said, 'particularly during this difficult time.'
Hawkins had served on the board for one term, which ended in November when her seat was automatically forfeited under an existing city policy.
The provision in the city's code allows the appointment of a non-city elected official to city boards. However, should the elected official win reelection while serving on a city board, he or she automatically forfeits their position.
Hawkins said late Tuesday that she was glad she would be returning to the board, adding that she is hopeful that programs crafted as partnership between the school district and libraries could be explored.
Wilburn said she wanted to continue to serve because of a love for books and libraries, but she added that she didn't expect to change the minds of council members who had not voted for her appointment Tuesday.
In a message to the Caller-Times, Matthews wrote that she was hopeful the board would "be able to work together to provide a public library system that provides information to all members of our community especially those from groups who may feel they are unrepresented.'
'It is so important that our libraries continue to be overseen by professional librarians who have the knowledge and skills to provide information for all,' she added.
Asked to comment on the council's decision, Anderson wrote in a message to the Caller-Times on Wednesday that she needed to review the archive broadcast of the council's meeting.
Below are the applicants in consideration Tuesday, shown in alphabetical order with self-reported occupations as shown in city documentation.
Applicants included:
Jennifer Anderson, community engagement librarian at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and representative of the nonprofit Friends of Corpus Christi Libraries
Nancy K. Cook, retired, regional director of spiritual care at CHRISTUS Health South Texas Region
Ann E. Coover, self-employed attorney and law firm partner, Coover & Coover
Samuel A. Fryer, training information administrator, Corpus Christi Army Depot
Guillermo Gallegos, undergraduate student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi pursuing a bachelor's in biomedicine (no additional occupation listed)
Marcus H. Haas, president and CEO, Gulf Coastal Breeze Inc.
Alice Upshaw Hawkins, adjunct professor, Del Mar College
Corie L Kaminski, library media teacher, Corpus Christi Independent School District
Tommie Lee, project manager, TL Electric
Carroll P Matthews, retired community advocate
Kathleen Mooney Morin, business manager, Coca Cola Southwest Beverages
Daniel G Resley, retired electronics technician and transit bus operator
Rudy Salomon, renewable energy engineer, Enel Green Power North America
Joshua W Shelton, copywriter, To Exceed LLC
Kathryn A Stevens, retired English teacher
Sarah Tuley, marketing coordinator, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Robert Voorheis, transmission operator, AEP
Dora A Wilburn, self-employed jewelry designer
More: Here's how the Corpus Christi Library Board became controversial
More: Four seats on Corpus Christi Library Board will be up for a vote. Here's why it matters.
More: 'Here to provide services': Corpus Christi Public Libraries remain a resource for community
More: Records: Why residents wanted these books relocated, removed from Corpus Christi libraries
More: Here's why the Library Board is the Caller-Times' Newsmaker of the Year for 2024
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: City Council appoints three members to Corpus Christi Library Board
