Council colleagues chide Nichols
June Casagrande
A councilman’s suggestion that the city monitor the politics of the
library’s Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series drew outraged barbs
from council colleagues on Tuesday.
Councilman Dick Nichols suggested that the “left-wing-leaning”
lineup of speakers for the city lecture series be modified to better
reflect the more conservative views of residents. But Mayor Steve
Bromberg and Councilman Tod Ridgeway both said it was “repulsive”
that Nichols would try to control the content of the speaker series,
especially because a private foundation, not the city, funds the
series.
“If you want to keep them out of the city just because they’re
liberal, there’s something seriously wrong with that,” Bromberg said.
“It sure brings up bad memories in history when we start telling
people they can’t talk because of their beliefs.”
Ridgeway echoed Bromberg’s comments.
“I, too, find this repulsive,” Ridgeway said.
The brouhaha erupted Tuesday as council members were considering
approving a council agenda item to administer $65,000 for the
library’s lecture series. The series is funded by a private
foundation, and the city administers its accounts.
Nichols protested the program’s politics and asked whether there
was any way to ensure that the balance of conservative speakers to
liberal ones better reflect residents’ views.
“These speakers should be picked on a more equitable basis between
liberal and conservative,” Nichols said. “They should meet the median
of the community.”
Speakers this year are author Jeremy Rifkin, Pulitzer
Prize-winning journalist David Halberstam, former Food and Drug
Administration Commissioner David Kessler and TV and radio news
correspondent Ray Suarez. Last year’s lineup included revisionist
historian Howard Zinn.
Council members approved the item 6 to 1, with Nichols dissenting.
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