Union, Patron Coalition denounce TRL board president’s “desired outcomes” list

Published 1:30 am Friday, June 19, 2026

Reaction to the revelation of Timberland Regional Libary [TRL] Board of Trustees President Brian Mittge’s list of “desire outcomes” has been swift and passionate. While Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope expressed his support for Mittge in a fiery op/ed published by The Chronicle, AFSCME Council 2 Local 3758-B, the union representing most TRL workers, and the Patron Coalition for Local Libraries have vehemently denounced the list.

According to a press release issued Wednesday evening, the union “denounces the list of ‘desired outcomes’ for TRL written by Board of Trustees President Brian Mittge and the harmful views it expresses.”

The union has been outspoken in its criticism of TRL leadership since the announcement of a $3.8 million budget shortfall and called for a stop to layoffs that were proposed at the time and as well as an independent investigation into TRL’s finances and budget forecasting process. Eighty percent of those planned layoffs were eventually rescinded. A swath of budget cuts seems to have alleviated the immediate issues with cost overruns.

As TRL trustees have embarked on a goodwill tour of library branches and meetings with Friends of the Library groups to try to rebuild public trust, Mittge’s list of “desired outcomes” has stoked fires that had recently cooled to embers.

The union asserts that the “fundamental purpose of public libraries is to provide access to information, ideas, and stories that represent the diverse needs and experiences of its community. We oppose any proposals that would restrict or remove access to books and materials based on the identities they represent.”

The list, which calls for “materials about sex, sexual and gender orientation moved from children and youth sections to adult section. No sexuality in children’s activities. Make libraries places of unity, not division. A neutral place that taxpayers can be proud to support, that parents can be excited to visit. No rainbow and activist displays. Monthly celebrations aren’t uniting, they are dividing. Be beige, not rainbow,” would suggest the elimination of cultural recognition months and remembrance days such as LGBTQIA+ Pride and Black History Month.

“Our libraries should be safe, neutral places where families go to check out books, study and learn. Period. Not hubs for activism. Not places to push sexual beliefs on kids. And not spots to divide children from their parents,” Swope wrote. “Brian nailed it when he said libraries need to be ‘beige, not rainbow.’ Beige means plain, non-partisan and unifying — focused on books for everyone, without the ideological displays and monthly celebrations that divide us at taxpayer expense.”

The union stated, “Public libraries are for everyone, including the most marginalized communities: those who are LGBTQIA+, unhoused, poor, disabled, young, immigrant, and Black and Indigenous people of color. Given the historic and ongoing discrimination targeting these populations, particularly the LGBTQIA+ community, we believe that library workers’ commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is essential. These community members are often the most dedicated library supporters, and we have a responsibility to provide a safe space for them and everyone else.”

Currently, TRL is actively celebrating Pride Month, published a blog detailing ways to recognize Immigrant Heritage Month and participated in One Book One Coast featuring renowned actor and LGBTQIA+ activist George Takei. All TRL branches were closed on Friday, June 19 in celebration of the Juneteenth holiday.

Mittge’s list also stated, “Just get back to being a library. You’re alienating people. They’re saying no.” However, a May 21 article posted to the TRL website says that a recent Customer Satisfaction survey indicated that 90% of 1,500 respondents said they were somewhat or very satisfied with the service they received. The article also said only 6% of respondents offered suggestions for improvement, including environmental concerns like noise, changes as a result of refreshes, and furniture, staffing availability — having staffed libraries, and facilities and collection. It also stated “the results show strong community support, trust, and appreciation for staff in our libraries.”

Rachelle Martin, co-founder of the Patron Coalition for Local Libraries, took to Instagram to voice her rebuttal.

“This is my favorite, ‘be beige.’ So wow, that’s a lot. The library, the whole point of it, is that the library is for everybody,” Martin said. “And to say that the library is anything less than a welcoming place for every single person means you are not interested in helping run a public library. It is really galling that this is coming out. … President Mittge was appointed to do these kind of culture war things. That the Lewis County commissioners have thought that this is an appropriate way to flex their political desires, ambitions, is to make sure the library is beige and not full of activists. It’s so offensive.”

TRL Interim Director Andrea Hesiel provided an official statement to the Thurston Chronicle earlier this week.

“Our libraries exist to provide materials, information, and programming for all members of our community and present points of view that reflect a variety of ideas, information, stories, and experiences. Library resources help readers learn about the cultures, perspectives, and experiences of a variety of people — as well as their own,” Heisel stated. “Every individual has the right to make their own decisions about what they read and believe, regardless of the content or viewpoint. We’re not always going to agree with everyone’s reading choices — politically, socially, or morally. Library materials are for personal selection; they are not required reading.”

According to the Thurston Chronicle, Heisel added that policies are in place that protect children from age inappropriate content and procedures exist to handle complaints.

The union added, “At a time when TRL is working to rebuild from significant financial challenges, we continue to advocate for a strong, well-funded public library system. Efforts to restrict access to materials and undermine principles of intellectual freedom moves us in the wrong direction. Now it is more important than ever to secure increased funding through a levy lid lift, so that libraries across the five county district can continue to offer free access to affirming and often life-saving information and resources for all. We urge the TRL Board of Trustees to denounce the exclusion of our most marginalized community members and support a levy lid lift to reaffirm their commitment to protecting intellectual freedom, equitable access to information, and public libraries that serve everyone.”

In her May 2025 op/ed for Scientific American, Laura Backstrom wrote, “Public libraries also face attacks through censorship efforts designed to divide people. Driven largely by organized political groups rather than concerned individuals, the unprecedented wave of book bans since 2021 overwhelmingly targets books concerning race, gender and LGBTQ+ experiences. Efforts to remove specific ideas and perspectives from public access in libraries run parallel to legislative pushes restricting teaching history, race and gender in K–12 schools and pressures on universities to limit diversity initiatives and academic freedom. From library shelves to classrooms, censorship limits exposure to diverse viewpoints and restricts informed engagement with complex social issues.”

The next TRL Board of Trustees meeting will be held at the Ocean Park Timberland library at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24.