Legislators Vote Out Inaugural Poet Laureate Over Social Media Posts

The Greene County Legislature has unanimously voted to rescind the appointment of the county’s first Poet Laureate, Esther Cohen, just months after she was selected for the role.

Cohen was appointed in January 2026 following a selection process led by the CREATE Council on the Arts, which cited her cultural impact and community work, including teaching at the Cairo Library and bringing poetry to underserved groups.

However, on April 15, legislators voted 14-0 to revoke the appointment after reviewing social media posts "they said did not align with the expectations of the position."

According to meeting discussions and a subsequent letter from Legislative Chair Patrick Linger, the posts included content interpreted as promoting violence toward President Donald Trump.

In that letter, Linger wrote that while Cohen is entitled to her personal views, the Poet Laureate "serves as a public-facing, nonpartisan representative of the county, and expressions condoning violence are inconsistent with that role."

The legislature had first raised concerns during a March 4 County Resources Committee meeting, prompting an investigation prior to the formal rescindment earlier this month.

Following the decision, county officials asked CREATE to submit a new candidate. The organization declined, with its Board of Directors stating that advancing another nominee would not be appropriate at this time. As a result, the Poet Laureate program has been paused.

"The Greene County Poet Laureate program is currently paused. Following the Greene County Legislature’s decision to rescind the appointment of our inaugural selection, CREATE’s Board of Directors determined it would not be appropriate to advance an alternate candidate at this time."

CREATE also defended its original selection process, noting it followed established guidelines including an open application and independent panel review. The group raised concerns about how artists in public roles are evaluated, while indicating a willingness to work with the county on clearer standards moving forward.

"CREATE is committed to working with the Legislature and the region’s arts community to revisit a shared framework that serves future candidates and the community we are here to support.That framework will be grounded in CREATE’s core belief: freedom of expression is essential and that artists should be evaluated on the merit of their work and their contributions to community life."

The Poet Laureate position, created to promote poetry at community events, carries a two-year term and a $1,000 annual honorarium. County leaders say future iterations of the program may include more defined eligibility criteria and review protocols.