Voters in in small Iowa city decide not to give their City Council more control over library books

PELLA, Iowa (AP) — Voters in a small Iowa city have narrowly decided not to support giving their City Council more power over their local library. The Des Moines Register reported Wednesday that just over half the voters in Pella rejected an advisory vote on whether the City Council should have more power over library spending and whether it pulls certain books from shelves. The vote came about two years after some residents tried unsuccessfully to get the library board to ban or restrict access to Maia Kobabe’s LGBTQ+ memoir “Gender Queer.” Opponents of the measure argued that the current system with an appointed board helps insulate the library from politics. Supporters said it would help keep harmful material away from children.