四虎影院

On Sunday, two social media posts warned Denton residents about the latest nominee for the Denton Library Board.

Both posts, one on X and the other on a local Facebook group, focused on Ellen Quinn Sullivan鈥檚 son, conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan, and on Mayor Gerard Hudspeth more than on the nominee herself. Both posts also mentioned Hudspeth鈥檚 recent library board nominee 鈥� Debi Scaggs, who has played a key role in the local effort to challenge books in Denton ISD libraries.

鈥淚 asked about it,鈥� Ellen Quinn Sullivan said of Scaggs鈥� nomination, which the . 鈥淚 knew there was 鈥� for the lack of a better term 鈥� a brouhaha about Debi Scaggs. I鈥檝e met the woman once or twice. I鈥檓 not sure if I was in a room with her that I know she was there. I鈥檓 not affiliated with her. I鈥檓 not trying to carry water for her or something, or to be Debi Scaggs-lite or something.鈥�

Sullivan said she has 鈥渘ever suggested banning any books.鈥�

The Denton Record-Chronicle reached out to Hudspeth and all City Council members for comment on Monday afternoon, but none had responded by Monday evening. The Denton City Council is scheduled to vote on board nominees at Tuesday鈥檚 meeting.

Sullivan and her husband are alumni of University of North Texas. They landed in Houston for about 40 years. They moved back to Denton about 17 years ago, and Sullivan said she has always been a library patron wherever she鈥檚 lived.

She reached out to City Council member Joe Holland, whom she said she knows casually through UNT alumni activities, and asked how to apply for the library board. Sullivan said she and her Denton family love living in the city. She said no one, including the mayor, had approached her to apply.

Social media posts took issue with , a hardline conservative activist know for his work as the publisher of Texas Scorecard and as a leader of the heavy-hitting Empower Texans, a now-disbanded conservative advocacy group that helped direct millions to select Republican campaigns between 2006 and 2020. A post in a local Facebook group was clear in its suspicions of Ellen Sullivan, though neither post named her.

鈥淭he nominee鈥檚 son, Michael Quinn Sullivan, leads and has a long history of promoting censorship in public libraries,鈥� says a post by Peter Mungiguerra on the popular Denton Downtowners group and the private Denton Matters group on Facebook. 鈥淚t鈥檚 safe to assume the apple doesn鈥檛 fall far from the tree. Given Scaggs鈥� ongoing efforts to restrict books in our community, this latest nomination raises serious questions about maintaining our libraries鈥� traditional role as neutral, welcoming spaces for ALL Denton families.鈥�

On X, user Maxine Davis posted a similar message, adding: 鈥淒enton Mayor Gerard Hudspeth is attempting to nominate a MAGA extremist book banner to our library board.鈥�

On Monday, Texas Scorecard posted a story in which a North Texas-based ministry said 鈥渉armful content鈥� in school libraries exposes students to risk for exploitation.

Ellen Sullivan said she had to try not to 鈥渞oll my eyes鈥� over what she said are uninformed mischaracterizations.

鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃ho is this person who has never met me and is calling me a book banner?鈥� It鈥檚 so nasty to talk that way and to assume that,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of my son, and I do have a conservative worldview. But I鈥檓 not operating on anybody鈥檚 agenda.

鈥淚 want to use common sense to work on this board, and to work with whoever [is on the board]. I don鈥檛 want them to call me names before they鈥檝e even met me.鈥�

Sullivan said that when she considers the appropriateness of library material, she doesn鈥檛 think about pulling books from the shelf simply because someone objects to them.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in banning books,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think there are probably books that are more appropriately shelved. For instance, would a preschooler enjoy War and Peace? I doubt it. And would someone in the adult section, would they want to read Cat in the Hat? Probably not. It鈥檚 not a matter of banning a book, it鈥檚 saying what鈥檚 appropriate given the audience we鈥檙e trying to address.鈥�

If appointed, Sullivan said she would consider the work, mission and vision of the library board, and if board members had to reconsider a book 鈥� a rare occurrence in the Denton Public Library system 鈥� she would give her opinion and consider the opinions of the other board members. She doesn鈥檛 consider herself a firebrand, but an avid reader who has been a middle school teacher. She considers herself conciliatory, not confrontational.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so easy to be mean if you鈥檙e hiding behind something like a post, you know?鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I think it鈥檚 important, especially for people who disagree, to sit down and look each other in the eye and talk, nicely. Be polite, like your mother said.

鈥淗ere鈥檚 the reason that I was interested: not to be another Debi Scaggs. I just thought, wait a minute. Everybody put the brakes on. Let鈥檚 just see if someone with a conservative mindset like me and somebody else on the board who has a liberal mindset can鈥檛 just sit at a table and talk about the issues. And not walk into the discussion with our proverbial arms crossed and a scowl on face and assume the other person is terrible.鈥�