Councilman Green Revisits Library Victory During Budget Hearing

City Councilman Bill Green didn't win the legal battle all by himself to keep 11 library branches in the city last year when Mayor Nutter wanted to close them. Library fans and other Council members were also in that fight.  But Green was alone during yesterday's first city budget hearing when he revisited that battle by starting a new skirmish with Nutter's chief of staff, Clay Armbrister, and City Solicitor Shelley Smith.

Saving his inquisition for the end of the hearing, Green asked Armbrister if the administration would ask Council for approval before trying to close any city facilities.  This was a key question because the library win rested on a previously untested section of the city Charter, added 21 years ago, which says the mayor must get Council approval to close city buildings.  Armbrister played it safe, mumbling "where's my lawyer" while waiting for Smith to come to the witness table.  After a brief consultation, Armbrister said: "We will do whatever the law requires us to do."

That didn't satisfy Green, who eventually re-asked his question at least eight times.  Smith eventually stepped in when Green demanded a "yes or no" answer, saying she would not litigate the matter in a Council budget hearing.  That really fired up Green. "I'm sorry. You're before this body. You'll answer my questions before this body," Green interrupted, his voice growing louder.

Smith stuck to her guns:  "The administration will do what the law requires."  Pressed again by Green, she added that the administration does not consider the section in the Charter dealing with the closure of city buildings to be legally valid.