I have seen little thought given to the assigned legitimacy to the political actors who may influence the operations of a public library, beyond one mention implying the taxpayers. I have seen incidents where the voting majority opposes the status quo of some on this subreddit, but this fact is treated as none-existent. So, who and why do they have legitimate authority over public libraries? The voters? Taxpayers? Librarians? Other(s)? I'm trying to understand the unstated premises of various voices here, to go beyond what their superficial stated or implied position may be, but how they validate their position and what role they believe the various political actors should play in political decisions regarding public libraries, and why. Thank you for your considered opinions.