11/19/2024
I would like to thank everyone who came out to speak at the Collinsville Library board meeting last night! Your words inspired me. Standing up for marginalized people in our community, supporting our library staff and holding to task those who would harm our community was truly a beautiful thing.
I kicked off my pumps and got down to business. By the time I finished, Wes Paul Nicolussi and his mommy had fled the building and Lomax got the final blow in the beating she had been taking all night from you kind folks.
I'll take these shoes and do a small victory lap. The victory feels good but remember, this is only one battle. There will be more. Keep showing up, your community needs you.
Below is the speech I wrote. Due to time constraints, I had to edit on the fly.
Once again, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
I would like to begin by requesting Lomax not interrupt me as she is want to do every time I speak.
At last month’s meeting, I believe our group of library supporters fell victim to intimidation tactics led by board president Lomax.
Planted at the back of the room where speakers lined up was Chad Lomax and Wes Paul Nicolossi. To the left of the speakers was a camera set up. This camera operator was not identified as a media source, left immediately after public comment and was friendly with Lomax before the meeting. For those of you who don’t know, Chad is a local arms dealer, and in 2016 Nicolussi was terminated from his employment for a threatening message to shoot up his jobsite.
When female speakers would pass Chad and Nicolussi, they began harassing them. Chad with foul language and hateful statements. Nicolussi with sexual harassment such as winking and blowing kisses. This was a clear attempt to intimidate these women. Our supporters held decorum during the meeting, did not respond to the harassers and did their best to speak in spite of intimidation.
After hearing from 2 of the women, I began watching the pair and observed them speaking to other women. I further observed Chad Lomax rise and move to the side of the room, making a cut off motion at his wife. This makes me wonder who exactly is running this board.
After the meeting I, in my very intimidating 5ft stature confronted Chad Lomax and told him to come after me instead of the smallest lady in our group. No, I wasn’t polite. That ship sailed.
I later learned that Nicolussi became aggressive with this tiny lady because he confused her for me. Nicolussi had to be restrained by his own mother.
While waiting outside for the rest of our people, Ms Lomax passed. I told her what had happened during the meeting. Lomax responded by laughing and stated, “now you know what it is like to live here.” At that point It confirmed my belief that Lomax had set this up from the beginning. I in turn told her that Collinsville has a leash law and she needed to keep her dogs on a leash. She laughed so I barked at her as a humorous way to nail in my point. No one touched or threatened her. Yet here we are correcting the web of lies spilled by this board member based on actions that I believe were directed by her.
Lomax as an elected official, you are subject to criticism. If you need to use intimidation on those constituents who disagree with you, it is time to grow thicker skin or step down. From my perspective, your biggest achievement as board president is pretending to care about our community and Library. Your Christian nationalist values and attempts to establish your religion as a priority in our library aren’t welcome and are a direct violation of the establishment clause.
I would once again like to address the post you made stating in summary, that the only books being banned were p**nographic books in the children’s section. Our director has stated there has never been p**n in the library. You have repeatedly stated that no books have been banned. We have evidence that this was posted by you, even though you denied it. I am very confused, my question is… were you lying then or are you lying now?
