Appointments to the Library Board of Trustees usually don’t draw a lot controversy, however these aren’t regular occasions. Mayor Donna Deegan’s current nomination of Elizabeth Anderson has drawn out a concerted effort by numerous far proper activists, politicians and teams to thwart the appointment. The trouble contains every thing from private assaults to false allegations to outright slander.
The assaults stem from Anderson’s time within the Duval County Faculty Board, an formally nonpartisan establishment that has been more and more dominated by far proper pursuits comparable to Mothers for Liberty. Anderson, a former Faculty Board member and chair, drew the ire of those activists over disagreements on tradition warfare points, and now, they’ve launched a marketing campaign to defame and belittle her in an effort to strain Republican members of Metropolis Council to not verify her appointment on the library board.
That is the sort of gutter politics most Jaxsons are sick and uninterested in. Jacksonville is a various, purple metropolis, and a variety of opinion and expertise is one thing most of us need advising our library system. To chop by way of this manufactured noise, it’s price Anderson’s many {qualifications}. As famous in a current assertion of help by neighborhood members:
- Instructional and Skilled Background: Ms. Andersen holds a Grasp of Science in Psychological Well being Counseling from the College of North Florida. She is a licensed psychological well being counselor and a former educator in Duval County Public Colleges. She has devoted her profession to supporting youngsters and households by way of each schooling and psychological well being companies.
- Management Expertise: As a former Chair of the Duval County Faculty Board, Ms. Andersen championed initiatives centered on scholar security, psychological well being, and educational achievement.
- Group Engagement: Presently serving as CEO of OneJax—a nonprofit group devoted to selling respect and understanding amongst folks of various religions, cultures, and identities. Her management at OneJax underscores her dedication to fostering a extra inclusive and compassionate Jacksonville.
Clearly Anderson is effectively certified to function appointed on the Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees, and he or she must be lauded for providing to offer of her time as a volunteer in that capability. To indicate help, add your title to the assertion of help and submit, name and electronic mail the Jacksonville Metropolis Council, or attend the Guidelines Committee assembly Monday, Could 19 at 2 pm and converse out.
Editorial by Kelsi Hasden.