The latest vote came after almost a year of rancor over the presence in the collection of the sexually explicit novel Eat Me, which prompted commissioner Randy Harris to propose in April that the county cut the library’s acquisitions budget so staff could not purchase what Harris characterized as “filthy trash.” The idea was tabled. A month later, library trustee Patricia Strait, who favors the changes, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault for allegedly shoving Pat Sasso, a member of the Marion County Republican Executive Committee, while accusing her of not backing Harris’s initiatives. If convicted, Strait, 66, faces a prison sentence of up to 14 months and a $1,500 fine, according to the May 13 Ocala Star-Banner.
“If we believe you don’t want to take action, we will find people to fill those seats,” Young Republicans Club President J. D. McFarland threatened at the June 1 meeting, apparently referring to Parnell Townley and Andy Kesselring, who voted against the proposals and are running for reelection to the commission in November, the June 2 Star-Banner reported.
Library governance will continue to be scrutinized, nonetheless: The commission has instructed Marion County Administrator Pat Howard to reexamine with trustees all the board’s policies—a process that Howard estimated as taking six months.
Posted June 4, 2004.