Report of possible library cuts in Gray creates backlash
As the Gray Town Council adopted its list of priorities for the 2027 fiscal year, rumors of major cuts to the town library spurred dozens of residents to attend the Oct. 20 council meeting in a show of support.
During a retreat organized by the Greater Portland Council of Governments, town councilors discussed multiple ideas for town priorities. One of the ideas was to cut public funding for Gray Public Library, and replace staff with volunteers. The proposal did not appear on the town’s final list of priorities, and council Chair Vincent Palange denied that it was ever seriously considered, claiming that it was one of several proposals thrown out by the retreat organizers and voted upon by attendees.
The proposed cuts attracted significant public reaction, filling the council chamber to capacity as residents gathered en masse to express support for the library.
Valerie Razsa, a member of the comprehensive plan committee, said when the committee surveyed residents, it found that the library was the most valued part of the community. Razsa, who does tutoring at the library, praised the staff for helping people of all ages. She said the amount of people showing up to support the library showed how much of a priority it was to the town.
Resident Debra Smith criticized the proposal to cut the library funding, saying that volunteers could not replace professional staff. Smith said that 38 public libraries, out of 257 statewide, are run by volunteers, and are often open for less than 12 hours a week in small, economically disadvantaged rural communities with a significantly smaller population than Gray.
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Resident Christine Renaud highlighted the library’s role in the lives of lower-income patrons. Renaud said she regularly works with people at or below the poverty line, and recommends they go to the library to access services. Meanwhile, resident Erica Plant spoke about how the country is in a literacy crisis, with librarians on the front lines.
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Sam Pfeifle, a Maine School Administrative District 15 school board member and candidate for state House, said the library is a place where residents can all come together, even in an age where people are spending more of their lives at home, and encouraged the town to prioritize community spaces so residents feel they’re getting something out of paying their property taxes.
“The way that we meet our friends and neighbors is through the rec program, through the library, through the services that the town provides,” said Pfeifle.
Some residents claimed the high turnout was due to misinformation spread by an organization called Grassroots Gray. Meg Barhite, president of Grassroots Gray, pushed back on the assessment, noting that cutting library funding was one of the items discussed in the publicly available notes from the council’s retreat. A Facebook post from the organization described the library cuts as a priority and encouraged residents to attend the Oct. 20 Town Council meeting.
Although the library will not be stripped of funding, one of the priorities on the council’s final list was to separate the recreation center from the library funding and offer “budget-neutral or profitable programming.”
Ultimately, the council’s list of priorities, without the library cuts, passed unanimously.
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Tagged: libraries
Rory, an experienced reporter from western Massachusetts, joined the Maine Trust for Local News in October 2024. He is a community reporter for Windham, Raymond, Casco, Bridgton, Naples, Standish, Gray,. More by Rory Sweeting
