In Goffstown, a fight between politicians and the public library is spilling over into this week’s local elections and new legislation at the State House. The results could have ramifications well beyond Goffstown itself.
The controversy started last fall, when some Republicans objected to a candidate survey organized by staff at the Goffstown Public Library, claiming it was a form of electioneering and showed a bias in favor of Democrats. Both a judge and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office rejected that argument.
In the end, the survey didn’t seem to hurt the Republicans who complained about it — their party swept all of Goffstown’s seats in the State House in November’s elections. But now, some of those same lawmakers are trying to outlaw future questionnaires and make other changes to how public institutions can participate in conversations around elections. One of those lawmakers is also running for a seat on the library’s board of trustees this week, in an effort to shape the way the library is run.
Rep. Joe Alexander — a New Hampshire House member who has accused the town’s library of political bias — said at a recent candidate forum held at the Goffstown High School that he’s looking to make sure the library serves a wide range of people, including ensuring that kids materials are age appropriate.
He also stated that he believes the library’s questionnaire issued before the November election was “blatantly” favorable to Democrats.
“I believe we have an interest as a state Legislature to make sure that we're making sure our employees are not electioneering, and we strongly believe they were electioneering,” Alexander said.
The survey asked candidates things like how they would meet the unique challenges of marginalized communities in the area. It also asked how candidates plan to tackle the rise of healthcare costs and how they would engage with constituents with different political views than themselves.
The state Department of Justice’s election law unit last year said the library’s survey was within the bounds of the law and consistent with past practice.
“Candidate forums and candidate questionnaires have a long history in New Hampshire, and [New Hampshire law] does not prohibit municipalities from conducting these types of activities,” wrote Brendan O’Donnell, chief of the department’s election law unit. “If you believe that additional limits should be placed on such activities, you are of course free to seek a legislative change.”
That’s just what some Republicans upset by the Goffstown library’s survey are now doing. A bill now in the Legislature would change state law so that such questionnaires can’t be issued by public institutions like libraries and even public universities. Public institutions also would be forbidden to hold candidate forums or discuss warrant articles that could appear on ballots in upcoming elections. Any person associated with a public institution could be fined if they are seen as electioneering.
Rep. Ross Berry, a Weare Republican and one of the bill’s sponsors, said the bill stems directly from the Goffstown library’s candidate survey.
“If they're publicly funded, it's not just a library,” Ross said. “Any publicly funded institution like that has no business participating in the political process. Government should be strictly neutral when it comes to the electoral process.”
Dianne Hathaway, the library’s director, sees the bill as backlash, especially with the attorney general’s office ruling that what the library is did wasn’t illegal. Hathaway feels that the legislative response is unwarranted — and potentially dangerous.
“I feel like it's an attack on the mission of libraries and communities, and I think that’s intentional,” Hathaway said. “I think that many of our state representatives are anti-library and their actions definitely support that statement.”
Alexander, the Goffstown Republican lawmaker, is co-sponsoring the bill Berry is behind. He’s also running for a two-year seat on the library’s board of trustees in Tuesday’s town election. There are three open seats on the board.
At the candidate forum last month, those running for the library board said they want to make sure the library reaches its full potential. Some called for the library to have more expansive services for older adults and hours that are more accessible. A few cited fiscal responsibility as part of their concerns, and candidates expressed opinions about whether privacy is ensured at the library.
Many residents of Goffstown said they hadn't heard of the legislation in the State House inspired by their library, though many expressed affection for the institution.
“I love the library,” John Deluca said. “The library doesn’t get the support that it should.”
Deluca said that the forums have been informative for him and he doesn’t see an issue with partisanship in the library’s questionnaires.
Alan Garfield and Brad Carr, two Goffstown residents chatting at a local coffee shop, said they found the library’s questionnaires more reliable than what politicians say themselves.
“A lot of people running for local office, I don’t know much about,” Garfield said. “They’re not really on TV explaining their position. They just have a road sign and that doesn’t tell me anything.”
