What happened: Midland County has installed new software on all public library computers to block access to pornography and protect Midlanders.

Why it matters: A friend recently told me about a disturbing experience at the Centennial Library, where her daughter sat at a public computer and was confronted with pornographic images left on the screen by a previous user. Another young girl had seen the same images minutes earlier. I brought the issue to Commissioner Dianne Anderson, who quickly arranged a meeting between my friend and the library director to discuss the incident and explore solutions.

Their discussions revealed that although the computers had content filters, people could bypass them. Upon further review, the library director found that no firewall protections were in place at the time. Now, every county library computer has firewall safeguards to better protect children and adults.

The bottom line: This is what responsive government looks like. I brought a serious concern to an elected official, and within days, a permanent fix was in place. Thank you, Commissioner Dianne Anderson, for listening, caring, and taking swift action, and to the library director for implementing the solution without delay. Our community is better for it.

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