Letter: Correcting the Gazette’s Misrepresentation of My Letter to the NEH
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The following letter was sent to the editors of the Daily Hampshire Gazette on April 23 in response to an article they posted on April 23, about a letter the author sent on April 21 to the National Endowment for Humanities, with the subject line, Waste in NEH Infrastructure grant CHA-292057 Jones Library Humanities Center.
I write to correct inaccuracies in Scott Merzbach’s piece headlined “In letter to Trump, DOGE, Jones Library opponent seeks cancellation of grant for humanities center in building.” I am the opponent.
For starters, the letter was sent to neither DOGE nor the Trump administration. It was directed to the Inspector General of the National Endowment of the Humanities and to the Congressional DOGE Caucus which describes itself as a bipartisan group of Representatives leading government efficiency initiatives. Amherst residents have described the $46.1 million Jones Library renovation-expansion as a boondoggle, a white elephant and a vanity project. I wouldn’t think that a citizen questioning the wisdom of investing such an excessive quantity of public funds is worthy of a hit piece.
Merzbach’s report implies that I wrote on behalf of a group of project opponents. As should have been clear from my signature, I wrote the letter on behalf of nobody but myself. The Gazette would be better advised to report on multiple instances of the Amherst Town Council President writing advocacy letters on behalf of the Council without the group’s authorization.
I am not the first to suggest that the Civil War Tablets would be more appropriately housed in an outdoor shelter where they are available to be viewed when the library is closed.
I learned about the construction bid protest after listening to the recent Jones Library Trustees meeting, and do not know who is behind it.
The story has the effect of painting me as a racist, anti-DEI, Musk-supporting MAGA Republican. None of these are true, as I took pains to point out in my letter.
I have no qualms about highlighting mismanagement, waste and deception associated with the proposed library project.
The Gazette should stop acting as the public relations arm of the Jones Library Capital Campaign and focus on balanced, fact-based journalism.
Jeff Lee
Jeff Lee is a resident of Amherst’s District 5.
thank you Jeff for your courageous letter regarding the financial realities of the expansion/demolition project. you more than anyone understand the fiscal risk to the town taking on these project without guarantees by the Jones Library board. I kept hoping our town manager and town council would exercise common sense regarding the ill conceived project. with so many other excellent libraries in our valley (that I have personally borrowed books from) there has been no need for an expansion or demolition of our library.