GUILFORD — On May 16, the Guilford Free Library hosted a meeting regarding the planned expansion of the library. Except for virulent outbursts by one resident, the meeting was cordial and well-received.
In today's mail, town residents received a glossy two-sided mailing that not only expressed opposition to the expansion but called into question the integrity, honesty, and even legality of the actions of one of the members of the library board.
The mailing strategically made no mention of where it originated, but it was a lookalike of the mailing sent out prior to the Selectboard elections in March, which also called into question the integrity of our sitting Guilford Selectboard.
It is one thing to object to costs or other aspects of the planned library expansion, but I believe the disseminators of the mailing we just received seek to accomplish something completely different.
Using the library vote as a vehicle, the writers of this hateful brochure are pitting neighbor against neighbor, risking the fragmentation of our mutually supportive community.
Perhaps by doing so, those implying dishonest and deviously unethical actions by the library board hope to advance their own agenda, based in the worst fascist ideology and belief system around.
The library vote is not the issue here, and voting against the expansion is not a vote to support fascism by any means. But Guilford residents should recognize the actions of those seeking to exploit the very real financial concerns of so many in our town to create an environment where hatred and false biases become the norm.