Ness

Let’s face it. In the contested race for the Deschutes Public Library District board, the most important issue is which candidate will do a better job of following through on the $195 million library bond.

It’s easy to imagine that either incumbent Martha Lawler or challenger Anne Ness would do a fine job on the bond and other issues. But Lawler has been on the board since 2011. She helped develop the bond, helped get it passed and is in the best position to execute it. That experience matters. Vote for Lawler.

This race is for the Zone 3 seat on the library board. Only people in that zone will have the election on their ballot and get to vote in this race. The zone includes southern and eastern Deschutes County.

Ness, who lives in Sunriver, is passionate about the library and the importance of literacy. She taught special education for more than 30 years and retired in 2015. She was also a school board member in Michigan. Ness has been impressively active in the community — serving as a court appointed special advocate for children and working with the group Supporters of Literacy in Deschutes County.

Ness would favor spending less of the bond money on the planned large, new library on the northern outskirts of Bend and investing more in the smaller libraries around the county. That is something to think about as the board makes choices about the bond.

Ness also has argued that the board should delay issuing the bonds and issue them in stages to “ease our tax burden.” It’s kind of a moot point. The board already voted to move forward on the bonds. Interest rates are low now. It’s not clear a delay would mean any overall reduction in taxes.

Lawler, who lives in La Pine, worked for years for the state of California, retiring as a manager for Caltrans, the state’s transportation department. She volunteers in the La Pine Public Library and served on the library’s budget committee.

She says serving on the library board has been a labor of love and she was thrilled to death when voters approved the bond. Lawler wants to ensure the bond will be a win for the community no matter where a person lives. She knows firsthand how important the La Pine library is to people who use it. One example: It can help level the playing field for people by providing internet access that they don’t have. It’s also no short trip to Bend from La Pine or Sunriver.

The pandemic has caused her and other members of the board to reconsider how the space in the new library building might be used. Some people may be telecommuting more in the future and not want the distractions that come with working from home. Can the library set aside some workspaces? Telemedicine also seems likely to grow in use. Can the library provide private spaces so people with no access or poor access to the internet can get health care?

Lawler told us she is proud and honored to serve on the board and would love to finish what she has helped start with the bond. Voters should give her that opportunity. Vote for Lawler.