All elected officials, from the President of the United States down to those who serve their towns as public library trustees, take an oath of office. While the wording of these oaths might differ, they have one thing in common: they require the oath-taker to support the United States Constitution. In New Hampshire, town officers are required to “solemnly swear” that they “will bear faith and true allegiance to the United States of America and the state of New Hampshire, and will support the constitution thereof” (NH Constitution Part 2: Article 84).
New Hampshire law also mandates that “any such person who violates said oath after taking the same shall be forthwith dismissed from the office involved” (RSA 42:1). If this law is to be truly abided by and serve as an example to all elected officials, one of the library trustees of Raymond’s Dudley Tucker Library, Jill Galus, should be “dismissed from office.” Back in April 2023, Ms. Galus signed a letter along with two former trustees, the library director, and the former town manager, which resulted in my termination as the assistant director of the Dudley-Tucker Library. The reason for my dismissal? I recruited, supported, and endorsed conservative library trustee candidates in my hometown of Atkinson, which I represent in the state legislature.
We want to thank Rep. Arlene Quaratiello for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
Soon after I was fired, I realized that my First Amendment rights had been egregiously violated. I had every right to engage in political activities in my own town and on my own time and should not have been terminated for these activities. This is what freedom of speech, enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, is all about.
After demanding a public hearing and threatening legal action, I was rehired by those who fired me. They rescinded my termination but with no acknowledgment of their errors nor any apology. Because my rehiring with backpay did not seem like adequate justice, I sought legal recourse. Eventually, the American Center for Law and Justice secured a “consent decree” signed by a federal judge acknowledging that those who had fired me were guilty of serious wrongdoing. The decree asserted that my termination due to my political activities “constituted a violation of [my] First Amendment Rights.”
This violation, as attested to by this federal court decree, is a clear violation of the oath of office taken by Jill Galus when she swore to uphold the Constitution as a library trustee. New Hampshire law (RSA 42:1) mandates that she now be removed from office for this violation. The mechanism for implementing this removal is a petition of the Rockingham Superior Court. Before subjecting her town of Raymond to any more costly legal proceedings, Galus should do the right thing and resign her elected position.
The case of a library trustee in a small town might seem unimportant, but the precedent that it would set is far-reaching. No one is above the law, from the highest ranks of the federal government to the elected officials of small towns throughout America. This leveling of the legal playing field is usually considered from the perspective of the most powerful national political figures. But it is just as important to hold our lowest level of government officers to the same standards. Ultimately, nothing is more important than preserving the constitutionally mandated rights of all citizens, especially the right of free speech!
