Kendall County Times

Jim Marter, a contender for the 14th Congressional District and Chairman of the Kendall County Republican Party, has voiced his disapproval of Karl Frisch, a Virginia’s Fairfax County School Board member, being sworn in on a collection of controversial books. Marter's critique is aimed at Frisch's choice to use books such as "Flamer" and "Gender Queer" during his oath of office.

“This is so wrong on many levels,” Marter said on Facebook. “Our children deserve better people in leadership for them.”

“I will always stand with the parents and our kids.”

Frisch, a Democrat and the first openly LGBT member elected to local office in Fairfax County utilized five LGBT-themed books for his oath of office. These books have often been challenged in libraries and schools due to their explicit content. According to the Washington Examiner, this led some locals to suggest that parents consider withdrawing their children from schools as a result of Frisch’s actions.

The Fairfax County GOP and radio host Larry O’Connor echoed Marter's criticism regarding Frisch’s choice of books for the swearing-in ceremony. The debate over these materials has raised concerns about promoting controversial content in schools and emphasized that these books are not banned but should be monitored for appropriateness in public school libraries. Frisch assumed his role as Chair of the Fairfax County School Board on Jan. 1, according to the news release.

Marter's comments follow a 2023 law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker intended to counteract institutions aiming to restrict or remove certain types of animated content from publicly funded libraries. This law threatens public funding withdrawal from institutions seeking such restrictions or removals. Institutions like Harlem School District 122 Board of Education in Machesney Park felt the impact of this law when they decided to remove certain animated titles from their libraries following parental outcry.

"It’s porn," Lynette Hofman, a community member said, according to WIFR, Rockford Sun reported. "We’re talking incest, molestation and pedophilia."

Marter is an experienced IT professional with over thirty years in the information technology and services industry. His LinkedIn profile reveals that he has held key roles in business process design, quality management, IT strategy, and SAP ERP. Marter currently serves as an SAP QM Platinum Consultant at QMS, Inc., demonstrating expertise in business process improvement and product quality. He is also the CEO of Marter Enterprises, LLC, his LinkedIn profile shows.

The 14th Congressional District includes Kendall County and parts of DeKalb County, LaSalle County, Putnam County, Will County, Kane County and Bureau Counties. U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) currently represents it since 2019 according to congress.gov.