By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Parish Councilman and Library Board Member Jake Airey has decided he has done his public duty with service to the community.
After over eight years that he or his wife has served on the St. Tammany Parish Council, plus Airey taking on the controversial spot on the Library Board, he said this week that he has decided against running for re-election to his District 13 Parish Council seat.
Airey will also end his term on the St. Tammany Library Board when his term ends in December.
Airey has found himself at the center of the spotlight for more than his share of the criticism from parish residents seeking an end to the controversy over books in the public libraries.
The St. Tammany Library Accountability Project (STLAP) was formed by parish residents after the book issue was discovered over a year ago, since then, leading to over 200 books being challenged for sexual content or sexually explicit themes, all being accessible to anyone of any age walking in the 12 public library branches.
Since the Library Board is appointed by the Parish Council, STLAP leaders have sought the council to do something that would force the Library Board to put the books in a restricted area, needing parental approval for minors.
That attention seemed to frequently go to Airey, whether on the Parish Council or after Parish President Mike Cooper appointed him to the Library Board.
Airey, who supported the move to have graphic novels put into a restricted section at the libraries, said he made the decision to end his public service due to an increasing load through his job as a lawyer, as well as wanting time out of the spotlight to spend more time with his family.
“The Parish Council is really a full-time job if you handle everything you see, especially in a district like mine,” he said. “And the council needs to really look at that in the future since right now it is only considered as a part-time job.”
Airey, who would get both e-mails of thanks and then letters of criticism from STLAP leaders, actually laughed about the past year and all he went through.
“I guess that’s what I get for not being afraid to say what I believe,” he said. “I am always going to stand up for what I think is right and I always did that as a councilman and on the library board.”
Qualifying for the Oct. 14 Parish Council elections is being held this week. Through the first day of qualifying only Chris Houlihan had qualified for Airey’s seat, although candidates can still sign up through Thursday.