Page 15 of Bad to the Bone

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Alex shook his head. He hoped the mayor would be open-minded enough to listen to the arguments for blocking the sale, but it was no secret that Findlay and Odell were golfing buddies. They could only hope the rest of the council members would consider the proposal objectively.

“I’m a man of few words, so I’ll keep this short. Approving this sale to allow the expansion of Tillman Motors is in the best interest of the citizens of the town of Freeland.” Odell smiled broadly as he returned to his seat. A group of men seated around him clapped him on the back and shoulders, and his wife, Brittany—his third wife, if Alex was counting correctly, the running joke around town being that Odell believed wives should be traded in as frequently as cars—took his hand and beamed proudly.

“Thank you, Mr. Tillman. The floor is open to other remarks in support of the measure.”

One of the men seated near Odell stood. Alex was only mildly surprised to see it was JC Haynes. The last he’d heard, JC was working as a mechanic at Tillman Motors.

“I want to tell the council to approve the sale to Odell,” he said. “This town needs more jobs, and how many jobs does that library bring in? Just the one, far as I know, and old Mrs. Gardner’s had it forever. Odell will hire more people, salesmen and mechanics and such, and we need that more than a lot of old books.”

Several people around the room nodded at that comment.

Another one of Odell’s supporters took the mic. “You all know the library building’s falling down. That big rainstorm over the summer took half the roof off. How long do we want to keep pouring money into a hole in the ground?” More heads bobbed in agreement.

“Are there any further comments in favor?” Findlay asked.

A woman Alex didn’t recognize stepped forward. “I don’t want my tax money going to support indecent books. The last time I brought my daughter to the library, they had a book on the shelf calledTwo Boys Kissing! As far as I’m concerned, a library that would put filth like that in the hands of impressionable teenagers deserves to be shut down.”

“She would pick one of the few LGBT books in the collection,” Jennifer whispered. “And we only have it because it came in a box of donations.”

Silence fell as the woman returned to her seat.

“If there are no other speakers in favor of the proposal, the floor is now open for opposing comments.”

Andy walked up to the mic carrying notes. “Mr. Tillman and his supporters have claimed that most of the town doesn’t get any benefit from the library. On the contrary, recent surveys have shown that as a national average, at least sixty-five percent of households report having visited a library within the past year. Among minority households, that percentage is even higher. They also claim that the library doesn’t create any jobs. While that may be directly true, indirectly the library helps the citizens of Freeland find jobs by providing free computer use and internet access, allowing them to search for jobs online, prepare résumés, submit job applications, and communicate with potential employers. The library furnishes free training on computer use and free access to popular software, providing the technology skills employers are looking for to people who might not otherwise have the resources to learn them.”

Jennifer spoke next. “More than half the residents of Freeland do not have high-speed internet access, especially among poorer families. The library provides this access for educational and entertainment purposes. We are also working to increase our digital inventory to allow readers to download books to their tablets, smartphones, and e-readers.”

“The library works in partnership with our local school district to provide preschool, after school, and summer reading programs,” Alex added when it was his turn to speak. “It provides access to a wider range of literature, nonfiction, and reference materials than are available in schools. Eliminating these resources would increase the burden on our already stressed public school system.”

A number of other attendees rose to speak in support of the library, but by the end of the night, Alex wasn’t sure it would be enough. Intangibles were hard to compare to dollar-and-cent expenses, and there was no disputing that the library could use more funding, not less.

When Mayor Findlay thanked everyone for their contributions and declared the meeting closed, Odell crossed over the emptying space to where the library board was seated.

“Hey, Morrison. I see that queer friend of yours is still in town, and he’s brought another one along with him. Didn’t he learn his lesson eleven years ago?”

Odell hadn’t approached Ricky Lee at the reunion, for which Alex had been extremely grateful, but it didn’t sound as if he could count on that restraint to last.

“You think the folks supporting you might rethink their stance if they hear you talking like that?”

“Hell, most of them agree with me!” Odell laughed and headed back to the front of the room to exchange a handshake with Mayor Findlay.

Alex was afraid he might be right.