Home Delivery

May 28, 4:44 PM | Traffic

Search for :

South Jersey news - Mob Scene - Jobs

options

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Council Calls on Nutter to Delay Library Closings

Chris Brennan reports that a non-binding resolution just passed in City Council, calling on Nutter to delay the closing of library branches until the budget issue can be studied for potential alternatives.

Like all budget issues lately, this provoked lively debate. Councilman Jim Kenney suggested the resolution would mislead city residents to think Council was changing the library closures. Councilman Bill Greenlee agreed, saying it "gives the wrong impression"

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell disagreed, saying Council should hold hearings on the issue. "That's not mean-spirited," she said. "That's not the wrong signal."

The resolution passed 12-5, with Kenney, Greenlee, Frank DiCicco, Marian Tasco and Council President Anna Verna voting no.

Nutter plans to shut down 11 of the city's 54 libraries as part of a massive budget cut to shore up a $1 billion hole in the city budget over the next five years.

Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 11:26 AM Permalink | File Under: City Council | 15 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:11 PM, 12/04/2008

As usual city council lives in a dream world!!!!! Maybe they think Nutter is over exaggerating the situation?

— zjimmyjcb

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:59 PM, 12/04/2008

Why do we even have a city council?????

— artm1

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:19 PM, 12/04/2008

Anna Verna is still Council President. That's a big fat joke.

— Who cares

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:34 PM, 12/04/2008

We can save money by cutting the number of City Council members and theri cronies. We can start by eliminating former Mayor Wilson Goode's son, along with the assistant that he is sleeping with.

— TronSector82

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:47 PM, 12/04/2008

Why spend $175,000,000.00 to build an annex on the Central Library at 1901 Vine Street while the Mayor is closing 11 neghborhood libraries, affecting mostly poor communities. Our children's education and our public libraries are priceless. Its good City Council finally voiced their opinion. We need positive responses from our State Representatives also. Maybe the Governor Rendell could borrow some money for the Free Libarary of Philadelphia also (similar to the Boscov loan). PO Box 202

— jalionking1

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:59 PM, 12/04/2008

The libraries can still be saved. Closing 11 libraries only saves about $8 million, not enough to fix the budget. At the very least, City Council should hold hearings into the rationale behind Nutter's decision. Why close these particular libraries? What drove the decision, and what alternative cuts could be made instead? Nutter isn't coming up with any answers to these questions, so I'm glad City Council is taking the steps to figure out what's going on here.

— PHL87

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:43 PM, 12/04/2008

Another joke vote.

— SteveV

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:16 PM, 12/04/2008

Mayor Nutter should ask Harrisburg to earmark enough from the 50% tariff they'll charge the casinos here to cover keeping these libraries open. It would take perhaps one day of their revenue.

— Bake McBride

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:20 PM, 12/04/2008

Closing libraries in poor communities is NOT what this city needs.

— Bud Fox

Comment removed.

Comment removed.

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:20 PM, 12/04/2008

I love watching people come on here and comment on things they no nothing about. If you actually think Nutter wants to close down these Libraries you are an idiot, he is making tuff decisions. They are making decisions like this all across the country. Why do you think all of the governers just met in Philadelphia. They are looking to find solutions to these problems on the local levels too. Maybe City councel should lower their salaries like Nutter and everyone in his office already did to help lower close this gap in the city budget, but they don't work for him so all Nutter could do was ask them to, he couldn't force them too. He is doing the best job he can for this city but he was delt a crapy situation because this city and this coutry has been being run so terribly for so many years. No one wants to make the tuff cuts he decided to make but other cities are doing much worse. I don't want to see pools and libraries close down either, plus I live on a small street so I hope this winter isn't that bad or my street probably isn't going to be plowed, but I'm not sitting here blaming in on Mayor Nutter, I'm hoping he helps us find a way out and these tuff cuts are just the beginning.

— dfoster126

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:38 PM, 12/04/2008

dfoster126 - I like how you come on here and try to criticize everyone with an opinion, like that is what is wrong with this city. I also like how you try to sound so intelligent and think you have all the answers. If you don't mind what is your profession? By the way tough is not spelled tuff, which you used three times in your argument. Mayor Nutter may not want to cut the pools and libraries but the fact remains the same; he is. This is not the answer nor is Mayor Nutter. He proved his flawed politics by campaigning for Hillary Clinton, now band waging Barack Obama. Ed Rendell and Nutter must go if there is any hope for this city.

— TheKeeper

15 comments

About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

Follow Chris on Twitter

David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com

Follow Dave on Twitter.

Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

Follow Catherine on Twitter

Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.

Follow Jan on Twitter