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.