Vote for Susan Shea, First Amendment protections

When I was thinking about moving to Sandpoint almost seven years ago, I came to visit a few times and the first place I went to check out was, yes, the library. I was sold! I have always felt that the community library is the real heartbeat, the real "face" of any community. It tells so much about a place. And we are so fortunate to have the amazing library we do, right here in Sandpoint.

And now, every time I think about or go to our library, I remember and appreciate our Founding Fathers who, way back in the 1700s, believed so strongly that the most important right we had was our freedom of speech (which included freedom to read, learn, research, discover …) that they captured that belief as the very First Amendment to our Constitution.

Our libraries (along with the librarians, staff, volunteers and board members who make them function) are the bastions, the guardians of that precious First Amendment. I am adamant that our library continues to be that solid, vital symbol of the First Amendment.

Susan Shea has served our library and our community with heart, dedication, a strong commitment to that First Amendment — as well as brought with her a lifetime of financial expertise which has been expertly and carefully applied to the library’s overall well-being and expansion. As she said at the candidates’ forum, “It is not acceptable to forfeit even a little bit of our First Amendment rights …”

Yes. Susan Shea should be re-elected to the library board. Please vote for her and all of our First Amendment rights on May 16.

BONNIE McDADE

Sandpoint