Alabama Republican chair again clashes with Fairhope over library books: ‘Ambush’

APLS is playing cat-and-mouse with Fairhope library funds

Rows of books in a library. The Alabama Public Library Service last week voted to withhold money from Fairhope Public Library over the presence of 10 books in a teen section that the board chair deemed sexually explicit. (Catherine McQueen/Getty Images)About an hour and a half into last week’s Alabama Public Library Service board meeting, one simple question from Fairhope Public Library Director Robert Gourlay captured the frustrations that have…

Alabama Republican chair again clashes with Fairhope over library books: ‘Ambush’

Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan says the library in her city did not get a “fair opportunity” to explain decisions about book placement before state officials decided to reject funding for the library.John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama public library board and head of the state Republican Party, rejected that criticism. He called the mayor’s assertion “ridiculous,” noting that the board meeting had been scheduled for months and that Fairhope’s fu…