A newly appointed Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) board trustee made a last ditch effort at a meeting Thursday to pull library support from this weekend’s Drag Queen Story Hour.
His motion died after failing to gain the support of other board members.
Richard Clements says he didn’t think he had the support of the rest of the board to pull support.
“You can’t tell unto you try," he says. "I had some suspicions that I might have been seconded to at least open it up for discussion among the board."
Clements moved to withdraw EVPL “personnel, direct support, marketing, and promotions” from the story hour because of public discussion of the event.
Following EVPL board procedure, five members of the public were allowed to speak at the beginning of the meeting. Three were in favor of the event. Two opposed.
Eric Williams, the other new appointee to the board, seconded Clements' motion to amend the meeting agenda, which opened the floor for Clements’ motion to withdraw library support of the event.
Williams and the other board members were silent, however, when Clements’ motion to pull library support needed a second.
"I am brand new to the board. I’ve been sworn in a few hours. I have a lot of learning to do," Williams says. "Until I get myself up to speed, it’s not my position to change course. It’s to do what I think is right."
Williams was named to the board Feb. 12 by Vanderburgh county commissioners. He replaced Andrew Ozete, who resigned amid the controversy surrounding Drag Queen Story Hour.
The Vanderburg county council appointed Clements to the library Feb. 6 after all but one councilmember voted not to reappoint Barbara Coyle Williams, who had reached the end of her four-year term.
Drag Queen Story Hour will take place Saturday morning at North Park Library.
