The question I pose to Micah Beckwith, magaGOP nominee for IN LT Gov, goes to the heart of how he approached the only public office he has held, on HEPL’s board. [FN1] A frequent trope of magaGOP people is that we should run gov’t agencies as a business. 1/7

In retail, the basic transaction occurs at the cash register. The owner of a retail business ignorant of how to run her/his cash register is a fool. In a library, the basic transaction occurs at the front desk when a person checks out a book. [FN2] 2/7

My question to Beckwith: did you have a library card for HEPL prior to resigning from its board?
The question does not unreasonably seek an answer of either “yes” or “no.” This is a matter of fact & a basic one. If he got a card after he was on the board, it’s a bit late. 3/7

Beckwith’s time on HEPL’s board is omitted from her/his campaign website. Beckwith’s time there was a fiasco. S/he pushed a policy to remove books from the young adults section and reclassify them. S/he might want voters to forget about it, but we have a right to look at it. 4/7

Beckwith seemed interested only in publicity not in the functions of the libraries. Beckwith’s efforts cost the library a lot of money, Hamilton County was ridiculed nationally, and Beckwith slunk away. I can see this pattern playing out if he’s IN’s Lt Gov. Except ... 5/7

the impact is greater. If Beckwith says s/he had a library w/HEPL, then we should be allowed to see a redacted copy. He seeks elected office. We should be allowed to see the evidence. #BrainNotBraun 6/7

Footnotes:
FN1. “Hamilton East Public Library.”
FN2. HEPL’s website, accessed 09/01/24, has a drop-down related to its cards: “You can do so much more with a library card than just check out books.” 7/7