The Rockport Library Committee needs new leadership and direction. Let's look at the Committee's accomplishments over the past few years.

- Three years ago the Library Committee endorsed the Library Director's plan that spent over $15,000 on a building design for a large new multi-million dollar library to be built on the RES site. That design and plan was soundly rejected by the Select Board and by hundreds of Rockport citizens. 

- Next, the Committee held a series of meetings (with paid facilitators) called the "Listening Tour". These meetings were poorly attended, with less than 100 actual citizens participating, and provided no real data and very little useful information. 

- The Committee then established the Library Steering Committee to investigate (with paid experts and consultants) the needs of the community, relative to our Library, and to identify the best location for the Library. The Steering Committee recommended that we build a large new library at the RES site.

- The Library Committee then recommended putting two articles on last November's ballot asking the citizens of Rockport to approve of the planning for a new Library and asking that this new Library be located at the RES site. Both questions were voted down by a majority of citizens from all over Rockport. 

- And, finally the Committee has hired (for several thousand dollars) a consultant to do something called a "site-agnostic" study of our Library's programing needs. A report with recommendations is due later this month. 

Over these years, the Library Committee has offered no truly practical plan for our Library, has paid little attention to the wishes of the voters, and has shown little concern about the potential financial burden of its continued large library agenda.

We believe that it's time for new leadership and new direction for our Library Committee.  

Please vote for STEPHANIE LASH and EMILY LUSHER.

 Jim Ruddy and the Friends of Rockport.