Crossland resigns from library board

A 12-year veteran of the midvalley library district’s board of directors resigned Monday to protest the way Eagle County has handled appointments to the board.

In giving her resignation, Linda Crossland issued a challenge to the county commissioners to appoint her replacement from the El Jebel area. Crossland said that the downvalley area doesn’t have any direct representation right now on the library district board.

Eagle County is responsible for the lack of representation because it replaced two downvalley residents with two Basalt area residents, Crossland said. Anne Hite wasn’t reappointed by the county commissioners last year even though she has a master’s degree in library sciences, Crossland noted.

JoAnn Glassier wasn’t reappointed last month despite her longtime involvement with the board. Both Hite and Glassier live downvalley from Basalt.

Currently, no library board member is from west Basalt or El Jebel – an area some have labeled El JeBasalt.

“It is my purpose to challenge the Eagle County commissioners to hear the voices of this group from whom they have effectively eliminated representation,” Crossland said. “I strongly urge the Eagle County commissioners to confirm a representative from downvalley, thereby allowing the Basalt Regional Library board to better represent its entire constituency.”

Crossland, who lives in Basalt, is an Eagle County appointee to the board. Pitkin County and the town of Basalt also appoint members. She said it is her hope that she is replaced by someone from the western portion of the library district.

Eagle County Commissioner Tom Stone said his board typically tries to be sensitive to geographical issues when it appoints members of citizens boards. That was more difficult with the Basalt Regional Library board because so few applicants applied.

Stone said he and the other commissioners stressed to their latest library board appointment, Peter Frey of Basalt, that he must reach out to the entire district.

Crossland said she plans to stay involved in library district issues, including the selection of a new site or sites for a new library and possibly a branch. She wasn’t able to participate in the site selection as a board member. She recused herself from the debate as a board member because her husband owns some property under consideration as the site.