Parental, not political control

When I was a boy, I would occasionally dive into my mother’s book collection when she wasn’t looking. It contained classics like Vladamir Nabokov’s “Lolita” and D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”, two novels I’m sure wouldn’t meet with the approval of the Christian nationalist critics of the Garfield County Library Board.

I don’t recall being titillated by the sexual content of these books. At that age I probably didn’t understand the majority of that content. But I vividly remember being impressed by the way Nabokov and Lawrence strung words together. Nabokov was particularly remarkable because he was not writing in his native language. I took those influences with me into adulthood and I hope they helped form the way I write.

The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners and the Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees are at odds on how new trustees should be chosen. The BOCC wants the trustees to identify nominees subject to BOCC approval. The trustees want the final say. The BOCC has already wielded a heavy hand in this process rejecting the trustee nominated Hanna Arauza whose husband happened to be running against Third District Commissioner Mike Samson.

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It comes down to how much book banning there’s going to be. The commissioners want a custos morum protecting the children from objectionable materials. The trustees argue that’s the parents’ job and the library should offer as wide a variety of literature as possible. Any new trustee should focus on that role and be devoid of political influence.

I side with the trustees.

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Fred Malo, Jr., Carbondale

Aspen’s traffic and safety crisis being ignored

Drivers love the S-curves, where they can stew in their vehicles, inhaling toxic exhaust, while producing volumes of CO2 that will melt the snow off the mountains.

That must be the reason that the Aspen City Council is willing to spend more time and money on a wishy-washy opinion survey about the Highway 82 entrance to Aspen.

A council majority has already said that they want to dump the approved straight shot preferred alternative, which would have the highway tunnel under the Marolt Open Space, bypassing the S-curves traffic snarl into Main Street.

(“Aspen City Council not in line with straight shot,” Aspen Daily News, Aug. 13)

Given a wildfire conflagration that the Aspen fire chief has said is a matter “of when, not if,” those precious fewer minutes taken exiting the town using the straight shot must not count.

Regardless of the opinion poll, the council majority, Torre, Rose and Guth, are likely to push through a revised Environmental Impact Statement scuttling the straight shot, which will take three years and $3 million.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has said that the new EIS might not change anything.

All of the council majority gyrations are likely to result in a whole lot of nothing accomplished to replace the ticking time bomb Castle Creek Bridge. It will continue to deteriorate; it will be patched up – until it suddenly fails.

Then CDOT has said it will come in and replace the bridge using the preferred alternative plan.

Bernard Grauer, Basalt

New Orleans jazz thrills Glenwood Fans at local concert

Last Saturday night we felt like we were in a jazz club in New Orleans with the famous jazz singer “The Nayo Jones Experience.” What a spectacular performance by the daughter of the accomplished jazz performer Doc Jones. This was brought to us by the community concert association of Glenwood Springs. The Mt. View Church was filled with fans of Nayo Jones and her fine musicians. If you missed this concert there will be three more in the spring, Call and get your tickets now. Call 303-517-9800.

Patricia Leonetti, Glenwood Springs

Keep Garfield County libraries in the hands of trusted trustees

The Garfield County Library system is the envy of the state. The voters of this county established an independent library system, with its own funding source and governing body, the Library Board of Trustees. With diligence and caution, with consensus and leadership, the board wrote its governing bylaws, which include how and when a board member is appointed or removed, and what the responsibility and authority of the board is, in contrast to what responsibility and authority the County Commissioners have. 

The current and future commissioners have the authority to approve the nominee for library board put forward by the library board. The library board has the responsibility to recruit and recommend new board members after they have been thoroughly vetted as to their knowledge of and agreement with commonly accepted national library norms, policies, and procedures. These do not include ascribing to one religious or political point of view, or having a closed mind to information and evidence you find uncomfortable. Libraries are about learning new things, about being uncomfortable as you discover challenges to your previous point of view, about having an open mind to take in new information and form new understandings. 

Our libraries have been run really well, and there is no justification for assuming power where none is needed. Put the libraries back in the hands of our state and nationally awarded Garfield Public Library Board of Trustees.

Susan Rhea, Carbondale

Celebrating Roaring Fork Valley’s women of wisdom

Now that the national political dust settles down as the snow fall calls for skiing and winter pleasures, there are two spectacular women known in the Roaring Fork Valley who can share their platinum wisdom with preferred audiences of taste and depth.       

First is Suzanne Lehman Webster who back in the day lived in Old Snow. Her cousin John Lehman was Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan. She is a Republican living in West Palm Beach, Florida. Susie still knows some folk in Aspen and would be a wonder guest speaker with a refreshing angle about the political milieu. Also she knew Donald Trump in yesteryear Aspen.     

Second is Cassandra Lohr, an interior designer, who has done marvels in Aspen including doing up an Aspen teepee. This teepee made the cover of Architectural Digest Magazine (August 1994). The magazine entitled this unusual interior decorating undertaking “Taming a Tepee.” Cassandra Lohr Designs is in Denver.     

Roaring Fork Valley ladies, do find a classy venue for these smart ladies.   

Emzy Veazy III, Aspen