Multnomah County Library card holders probably thought they only got nasty-grams and found out when their reserved books were in via email. Nope. Thanks to an alert 5th Listener we learn the Library system’s listserv is also being used to electioneer in favor of a proposed tax increase.
Multnomah County Library card holders received this (unenhanced) email in their inbox recently. It’s a note from County Chair Jeff Cogen telling library patrons that their beloved libraries could be cutback  and urging them to “participate” in a “community discussion” on raising their taxes.
The “community discussions” are being held throughout the summer to electioneer in favor of a new taxing district and increased spending on libraries. I claim this because that is exactly what The Friends of the Library tax backers are telling their supporters. See a screen cap of their web page nearby.

The County email is an example of how local public officials use taxpayer funded resources against you. And you’ll see in this post why I say that. These officials use public resources on public time to electioneer in favor of tax increase. Will opponents get the same advantage of free advertising using public resources? Of course not. Does this violate campaign laws in Oregon? I think it does, but I’m checking with an attorney to make sure.
The email then asks you to take a survey. Read about this after the jump.

In his email Cogen then asks you to go to THIS link: https://www.research.net/s/MultnomahCountyLibrary to answer some questions.  Check out the preamble on the questionnaire!

After doom and gloom preamble and how great it would be to raise your taxes, the questions commence.
Which library do you use? How often? What do you do there? And then this: What’s the biggest threat to our local libraries? What? Are they talking about porno watching bums? The coming Zombie Apocalypse? No. They’re talking about reducing services, naturally.
Then we eventually come to the big question: What do you want, dead baby harp seals or fluffy puppies?

Oh, an you MUST answer the question because nobody gets out of here without singing the blues.

County officials will, of course, use this no choice answer to pretend there’s good support for raising taxes because they’ve rigged the survey.

Locations of “Conversations”

The meetings you’re being asked to attend are about one thing: raising your taxes by establishing a new “library district” to jack up property taxes of those who live in this heretofore never before established new “district.” Back where I come from (oh, wait, that’s here!) we call those counties. Counties fund the libraries through existing taxes. If they can’t afford to keep the libraries going then they need to cut back elsewhere.

I will be filing a campaign complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office but you know how those things go. If found guilty there’s only a $75 fine.  By the way, I’m still looking for a lawmaker who will propose this $75 fine will apply to every offense; in other words, every person who receives emails or liar flyers like this in the future will be worth a $75 fine. Who will stand up and do that?