By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – Reaction to Gov. Chris Sununu’s decision to withdraw the nomination of Mindy Atwood to be state librarian was forceful from both sides with some claiming she advances a “woke” agenda and others saying she simply opposes book censorship, which NEA-NH called a mainstream belief.
For the past two years, Atwood has served as administrator of the New Hampshire State Library operations and prior to that was a librarian in Sunapee and in Salisbury.
Sununu told reporters he withdrew the nomination after he heard not only from Executive Councilor David Wheeler, R-Milford, of his concern but other councilors as well.
“The votes clearly weren’t going to be there. I think she was good. She was going to do a good job. The votes weren’t going to be there. Anything additional would just be going to shine an inappropriate and unnecessary negative light on her,” Sununu said.
“There is no reason to drag people through that. She’s got a professional career. I think she is great and wonderful and whether the councilors were justified or not it was clear it just wasn’t going to happen.”
Sununu said he thought “Mindy was addressing” concerns but it was not going to change the votes. And in the end, leaving her for an up or down vote when he knew the votes weren’t there, it would do nothing but provide “political drama” at the expense of an individual.
The councilors picked up the phone “and it was clear it was going to be unnecessary,” he said.
He indicated there was some talk about councilors wanting a public hearing, which is not required by law but has become more customary in recent years for department heads.
Officials said the council did receive comments both in praise and opposition for the nomination.
Members of a far right organization which has in the past disrupted council meetings opposing vaccinations were among those on social media cheering the withdrawal while the state’s largest teachers’ union, NEA-NH wrote that it was disappointing that she did not get the job because she “publicly opposes book censorship, a mainstream position” held by the New Hampshire Library Association and the American Library Association.
Councilors said they were deluged with letters, including letters from those on the far right who during COVID-19 objected to requirements for wearing facemasks and health registries and vaccinations and now are focused on family-first agendas in legislation.
Wheeler told reporters after the council meeting that he would not have been willing to support her because she is “too woke” and that the state librarian should stay out of local decisions that need to be made across the state.
But advocates of Atwood said that by law, the state library has no authority over such things.
State Rep. Nick Germano, D-Keene, wrote on social media that “this is where we are – the governor caves in to extremists who opposed the appointment of a state librarian who opposes censorship. He has no problem appointing an Education Commissioner with zero job qualifications but can’t support a nomination of an eminently qualified professional who defends the First Amendment?”
Sununu noted that because his time in office is concluding he did not have the time to put forth a new nominee to fill the role left by outgoing librarian Michael York, and that decision will be left to Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte when she takes office next month.
