Watchdogs: Eyes on Caro Library

06/16/2025

Caro Area District Library Board Member Stacy Crutchfield says public comments should be censored from the Meeting Minutes due to individuals discussing their Gender Identity. "In the past we have had some students, um, young people, who have expressed their Gender Identity. And I think if they have that out there, it could be very dangerous for them. And if they knew that their names were gonna be public, they might not come and say what they have to say."

05/23/2025

Without informing the public, the library board decided (in private) to stop documenting the names of residents who participate in the Public Comment portion of meetings. The board also decided not to provide any descriptions of public comments given. This decision appears to have been made before Hope Riley began her term. A local resident complained about the change, saying it felt like an attempt to censor any criticisms relayed to the Library Board.

Hope Riley offered a viable compromise (speakers can state if they want their name/a summary documented or not) that considers all residents. Stacey Crutchfield advocated only for the portion of our community that aligns with her politics. While it may appear responsible for Erin Schmandt to suggest seeking legal counsel, she may have an ulterior motive. The lawyer who represents the library has written bills for the state legislature that seeks to prevent local taxpayers from influencing their local library boards--and subsequently has been criticized by local taxpayers during the Public Comment portion of a few meetings. This lawyer's advice tends to be in alignment with Erin's own agenda. Is this a library for the whole community of Caro, or just those who Stacey and Erin agree with?

05/16/2025

Jordyn Nordstrom has resigned from the Library Board. We need several common-sense individuals to apply for the opening! To our knowledge, no one who wants to move the p o r n out of the Children's Section has applied. If you live within the Caro Library District, please apply! DM us if you need assistance composing a Letter of Application. Please do NOT publicly interact with this post if you're planning to apply. Publicly supporting us may work against you.

03/26/2025

At the February Library Board Meeting, Board Member Hope Riley asked that an item--listing the names of individuals who make a public comment in the Meeting Minutes--be added to the next month's Agenda. The meeting minutes of both the Caro City Council and the Tuscola County Commissioners include the names of those who participate in Public Comment AND summarize their comments. Despite her request, the item was NOT added to the March Meeting Agenda.

The Caro Area District Library's website and Director Erin Schmandt's email signature proudly shares that the library is the winner of the 2023 Michigan Library Association Intellectual Freedom Award.

Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to hold, seek, receive, and disseminate information and ideas from all points of view without restriction, fostering the ability to form opinions and engage critical thinking.

If Director Schmandt and board President Stacey Crutchfield promote Intellectual Freedom, why did duly-elected Trustee Hope Riley have to go to such lengths to have an item for discussion added to the agenda?

While this is not a suggestion of malicious motives, it is a marvelous example of human nature. People have an inherent tendency to promote their own viewpoint. The same internal barometer that influenced Director Schmandt to omit a simple discussion item from the agenda will ALSO be used when determining what to include or exclude from the library’s collection.

This is why the public comment made by Allison Blatner on February 17th--that the Director should have sole control of circulation due to her education and experience--is flawed. It's doubtful Allison would hold the same opinion of a Director who possessed an equal level of education and experience as Director Schmandt if that Director did NOT share her same core values and world view.

The library conducted a Caro Community Assessment in 2017. In the survey, citizens asserted they would like to see Caro have more community events that bring people together (pg. 2). The library has certainly contributed to social engagement opportunities. The respondents also mentioned (numerous times) that they would like leaders who get along and work together to solve problems (pg. 4).

Hopefully we will see the library board trustees be individuals who can compromise to find workable solutions for ALL its patrons. In order for that to happen, they must be willing to listen to every board member’s ideas with an open mind and a spirit of unity.

03/09/2025

Facebook removed the post that featured CENSORED images pulled from the Children's books, "It's Perfectly Normal." We can't post the images WITH censor bars, but the uncensored versions sit in the Children's Section of the Caro Library.

02/10/2025

Director Schmandt's new contract ensures that she will receive the unprecedented fiscal benefits of being fired "without cause" if she's fired for refusing to add or remove books to the library. The contract literally provides a CAUSE that should qualify her for "termination without cause." We encourage the public to raise awareness about this immense waste of tax dollars and mystifying logic. Imagine getting rewarded for REFUSING to do your job. Director Schmandt has succeeded in ensuring that she--one single, unelected individual--has total control over library materials. Please note that all board members supported this contract, except Hope Riley and Sherri Hoy. Please attend the Library Board Meeting on February 17th at 5 PM to share your thoughts on this contract.

See the bottom of Page 2 and the top of Page 3: "The Library Board may terminate this Agreement and Employee’s employment pursuant to it at any time without cause. It is understood that termination without cause includes a termination based upon Employee refusing a request from the Board to place materials in circulation due to their content or to remove materials from circulation due to their content. Upon termination without cause, the Library shall provide to Employee severance pay in amount equal to two weeks of pay based on Employee’s Annual Salary at the time of termination, per year of service."

01/17/2025

Caro Library Board Meetings will now be held on the THIRD Monday of the month. Next one: February 17th at 5 PM.

Send a message to learn more

01/17/2025

Did you know that both the Caro City Council and the Tuscola County Commissioners post their Meeting Packets online for the public to review? But the Caro Library does not. So from now on, we will be posting the Meeting Packets on our page.

Here's the Meeting Packet from the January 2025 Library Board Meeting

01/14/2025

Thoughts on tonight's Library Board Meeting: Per Kate Van Auten, who provided Board Training: the board's FIRST responsibility is fiduciary duty--to ensure that the library can financially continue existing/functioning. She also stated that one person should not control the library. Tonight every board member (except Hope Riley and Sherri Hoy) voted to approve a contract that has NO CAP on severance pay. If the Director receives an obscene amount of severance pay, where will the funding for a new Library Director come from? This meeting made it clear that all but TWO members of the board are prioritizing one person--Erin Schmandt--over the fiduciary duty to ensure the continuing function of the library.

Send a message to learn more

12/17/2024

Hope asked to attend the Closed Session. Crutchfield--without asking for the opinion of other board members--said no.

Closed Session lasted for over an hour. It is illegal to make deliberations within closed session. It is unclear why it took the board over an hour to read an opinion letter from the attorney.

Upon exit of Closed Session:
Nordstrom motioned for a contract that offered severance pay (for termination without cause) of one week's worth of pay for every year of employment & for the severance pay to be capped at $25,000. Hoy & Seibert supported. Lewis, Branding, and Crutchfield voted no. Motion failed due to tie.
Nordstrom then motioned for two weeks' worth of pay per every year of employment + no cap. Only Hoy voted No. Motion to finalize the contract passed.

It appears (?) that the contract will not be officially approved until the January 13th Board Meeting? The President's final statement was confusing, so we're not confident on the next step.