Kingsessing Meeting
I went to the Kingsessing town hall meeting about the libraries tonight, and I have to say the experience has left me jittery and zipping around on adrenaline. There’s literally so much boinging around my head right now it’s hard to write. I took some notes, and you’ll have to forgive any typos and discontinuity. To Philadelphia Weekly readers, welcome! This post is kind of hard newsy because I just got back from the meeting across the street so pardon the lack of ranting, scroll down to other posts for bitching and whining.
It was raining and misting outside, so any hopes for a big time rally beforehand were pretty much tamped down. But the crowd inside was boisterous and loud, and it took quite some time for the Mayor to get people to quiet down before getting into the details. Without trying to be snarky, there was some serious cognitive dissonance for me, because from what I understand the mayor’s mind is made up: so while he’s discussing things with each affected community, it’s not like this “dialogue” is going to change anything. We might as well be talking to the wall. I’m happy to be corrected.
So anyway, the meeting was held at the basketball court, with a podium flanked by two long tables. I met Rob DuBow briefly. He seemed like a nice guy. Siobhan Reardon had a seat. There were a bunch of names I don’t know. The police and fire commissioner were there. Streets.
I learned a thing or two tonight. Recreation commissioner Slawson stated that the department is working with interested parties to fund the pools. She didn’t say who, but that’s understandable. She made an argument for staffing cutbacks. I wasn’t as interested in the pools as the libraries: there are a lot of cost-saving measures the pools can institute (volunteer lifeguards, for example, instead of paid) and it shouldn’t be that hard to find a corporation to partner with. Ideally, you want a massive donation like the $3 million packages I’ve argued for, but hey if you can get 10 corporations to adopt 10 pools each season, that’s nothing to turn up your nose at. Either way, she made clear that efforts were underway, so that sounded cool.
Free Library Director Siobhan Reardon on the other hand, made an argument that really bugged me, and it’s one I’ve seen repeated in coverage by the Fishtown Star. A plan to spread the pain evenly to all libraries, cutting back on hours across the city, was rejected as creating “a weaker library system”. Thus, the solution to permanently close 11 branches was undertaken. But this rests on a false premi that current economic conditions are permanent, but that is not so.
The economic crisis is a temporary situation, therefore cutting back on hours is a temporary measure taken in response. Reardon and Nutter both equate a temporary measure with a permanent measure as if they’re the same. They are not. It needs to be driven home that the administration is proposing an unreasonable solution when a reasonable alternative exists.
I learned that Philadelphia has been paying for its courts, when really the state should be paying. [Note to Philly Weekly readers: like the article says I'm a loudmouth, no one said I was a genius ( but also this Supreme Court decision was from 3 years or so before I got here).] It begs the question, “why doesn’t Philly just stop paying for the courts and use the money for libraries, pools, and rec centers”, but then that also begs the next question, “what the fuck are you out of your mind?”
There were some really emotional moments. An elderly woman stood up and pointed out that “2 miles to the nearest library” is actually 4 miles round trip. How could people her age be expected to walk to Paschalville, my neighbor Carolyn yelled out later on in the evening.
Another woman got up and challenged the mayor to tell her how many schools in the neighborhood had libraries. I was about ten people back, and my glasses went missing, but I craned my neck to see the mayor leaning toward the phalanx of department heads behind him. “No,” she said,” I don’t want you to ask them, I want YOU to tell me. How. many. schools. in. this. area. have. LIBRARIES? She was relentless. The mayor didn’t have an answer, it was wicked uncomfortable. And then the woman proceeded to list the schools in the neighborhood: only one had a library. Mayor Nutter claimed that the Kingsessing library wouldn’t be sold which prompted shouts of “LIAR”! Who to believe: the Mayor or the Friends of the Free Library:
The Free Library will take significant budget cuts that include the permanent shuttering of 20% of its buildings or 11 branches; 71 layoffs and a $1.6 million reduction to the materials (books, tapes, DVDs, periodicals, graphic novels, etc.) budget that has not been increased in 8 years. These library buildings, some of which were built with funds from Andrew Carnegie will revert back to the public properties division to be sold. The time to take action is now. Contact us (215.567.4562) to find out how you can help. Also, contact your legislators with your concerns.
…but hey everyone’s got an agenda, right? right?
Another woman stepped up to the mic, and in a voice the rose in pitch as it did in volume, she described teaching at two schools in Southwest Philadelphia (didn’t get the names) where she “lugged books” (her words) from the Kingsessing Library to her school because there was no on site library. She recalled taking her students to the basement of the library for story time. And she asked why every time it comes to money or programs, southwest is the last to get them, and one of the first to get hit. People were cheering and yelling.
More people stepped up (I’ll gloss over the communist party’s candidate for whatever giving a long reading of the dialectical whateverism). A kid from the Philly Student Union I’d seen at the rally at the Main Branch spoke strongly about the needs for libararies. Another kid a few feet ahead of me who gave his age as 17 asked “What about me? Y’all got your degrees and suits and shit, what about kids my age? Why you gotta take away what we got?” It was amazing to see so many people refusing to budge.
One thing I noticed was that the mayor kept talking about cuts exclusively. He did not talk all that much about the possibility of forgoing tax cuts, interesting given a poll that shows Philadelphians would actually forgo tax cuts to preserve services. He also didn’t, and hasn’t, mention raising taxes on drinks by a few cents: currently, we pay a 10% tax on individual drinks bought at bars to pay for our school district. So when it was my turn, I asked. In response, the mayor incorrectly (i believe) identified that tax as a state levy…
Philadelphia’s liquor sales tax, enacted in 1994, also 10 percent, was intended to raise revenue for the city’s ailing school district.
The city’s regulations require restaurateurs and bar owners to pay the tax monthly, by the 25th day following the month in which the tax is collected (January’s taxes, for instance, are due Feb. 25).
The Philadelphia tax does not apply to sales at state stores or beer distributors; it also is not levied on six-packs purchased for carry-out from taverns.
Establishments that have liquor licenses but allow patrons to bring their own liquor, charging a corkage fee, are not required to collect tax on the corkage fee.
Complimentary offerings — Philadelphia uses the example of a free bottle of wine provided to a couple celebrating their silver wedding anniversary at a restaurant — are not subject to the tax.
…so I’m probably going to explore that a little more. No matter who handles that, I’d like to know how much that tax brings in to the schools, and how much extra it would take to fund the libraries. I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I would be happy to pay an extra nickle per drink if it meant keeping the libraries open and supporting literacy for kids.
OK, on that note I’m gonna try to hit the hay. I’m all amped up from the meeting, and on top of that I’m on the cover of the Weekly for being a loudmouth with a blog. I’m as jittery as I am exhausted.
I hope I don’t get fired.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:57 am
[...] about Philadelphia having to close libraries because, well, no income, no business transactions, no real estate value, no taxes. No taxes, no [...]
December 17th, 2008 at 9:31 am
[...] Go read Brendan’s account. [...]
December 17th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I’d be seriously surprised if there was any fallout at work. I read the article (great article, btw! I’m so proud of you!!) and there’s nary a mention of where you work – and correct me if I’m wrong, but your position isn’t super-high profile. I can’t imagine anyone reasonably being bothered. You’re a community activist – that’s totally consistent with what you do for a living.
December 18th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
[...] Brendan, December 17 2008: Free Library Director Siobhan Reardon on the other hand, made an argument that really bugged me, and it’s one I’ve seen repeated in coverage by the Fishtown Star. A plan to spread the pain evenly to all libraries, cutting back on hours across the city, was rejected as creating “a weaker library system”. Thus, the solution to permanently close 11 branches was undertaken. But this rests on a false premise that current economic conditions are permanent but that is not so. [...]