Friday, January 6, 2012
Money / Politics / $$$ / Clout City Mayor Emanuel: Money for CME, cuts for public libraries
Posted by Ben Joravsky on 01.06.12 at 05:00 PM
Not really sure what it is about Mayor Emanuel and public libraries, but the dude never looks so happy as when he's cutting their hours or firing their staff.
In this case, he's vowing to close the branch libraries on Mondays. Or as he might put it—let those fuckers get their books on Amazon!
Apparently, neither the mayor nor anyone he knows actually uses a public library, even though the one in his hometown of Wilmette is positively lovely, with a fireplace and everything.
But what the mayor should know by now is that thousands and thousands of ordinary Chicagoans depend on the libraries, if for nothing else than a relatively quiet place to do homework after a long day in the classroom.
And as we all know by now—the mayor loves long days in the classroom. Well, at least for everybody else.
In fact, lots of those ordinary Chicagoans showed up to protest at city hall last fall, when Mayor Emanuel proposed to cut about $11 million from the libraries, which are already understaffed and underfunded.
Those protests got so many aldermen fired up that they forced Mayor Emanuel to compromise and "only" cut about $8 million from the libraries.
In turn, the aldermen got so giddy with appreciation for the mayor that they voted fifty to nothing to approve his budget, mental health clinic closings, and massive water-sewer tax hike included.
What a crew....
Now, Mayor Emanuel has decided to break his word and close the branch libraries on Mondays, even though he swore up and down he'd keep them open six days a week.
They're already closed on Sundays—during which time, under the mayor's plan, children are supposed to study at Starbucks.
Let's get one thing straight—this has nothing to do with finances. This city's loaded with money, starting with the $700 or so million in the Tax Increment Financing slush funds.
Not sure why Mayor Emanuel won't tap the TIF slush to fully fund the libraries—probably cause he's gearing up to waste most of it on some spectacularly stupid spectacle like the G-8 summit he's so thirsty to bring to town.
Why, this city's so rich we're getting ready to throw roughly $31 million to a developer who has enough brains to hire Mayor Emanuel's former campaign manager as his consultant on a deal on the north lakefront.
Here—read all about it....
And we can waste another $7 million on a grocery store in Greektown that will go across the street from another grocery store. No money for libraries but millions for Greektown grocery stores.
Here—read all about that.....
Oh, and let's not forget the $4 million he wants to spend on a grocery store in North Center. Or the $15 million in TIF funds that Mayor Emanuel is practically begging the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to take.
Please, CME, please—will even close the libraries if you take our $15 million!
That would be the same CME which recently got well over $100 million in tax breaks from the state. Speaking of spectacularly stupid wastes of money.
So if money's not the issue, why is the mayor being so hard on the libraries? I suspect he's looking for another opportunity to beat up a union—in this case, the union for library employees. The mayor loves beating up unions. Probably figures it will get him contributions from gazillionaires—like the boys at CME—when he gets ready to run in Iowa's 2016 Democratic caucus.
Though with his record, the mayor might be better off running in the Republican caucus.
In the meantime, here's a hint for kids and parents looking for a library on Mondays. Head on up to lovely Wilmette. Just tell them Mayor Rahm sent you. I'm sure they'll be happy to give you a cozy seat by the fire....
Comments (10)
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Ahhh... Ben... Shame on you. After all these years "inside the belly of the beast" don't you know how these things are done? You do all the embarrassing stuff early on and save the good stuff until a few months before the next election. Voters are just too 1. stupid 2. lazy 3. apathetic 4. absent 5. all of the above, to remember what our duly elected public servants do to us (you can't print what I'd like to say here) other than a few weeks before the polls open. The way I calculate it the Mayor and his Court have a good 2 1/2 years to continue (insert obscenity here) us over before they have to do some good. Of course that's good news for you because there's going to be plenty to write about until the next election! :-)
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"Apparently, neither the mayor nor anyone he knows actually uses a public library,"
Actually I heard his kids go to the Albany Park branch which might explain why there was no problem finding $15 million (twice the amount "saved" by layoffs) to replace the old-but-serviceable building with a brand new one. Never mind that there will not be enough people to staff it and the the ones that do will be run ragged.
CPL has opened maybe 5 new branches in the past year or so while laying off 200 people. How much sense does THAT make? Everyone wants a shiny new library in their neighborhood but perhaps doesn't realize that they are run by *gasp* unionized government workers, those scum of the earth!
http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Press%20Room/Press%20Releases/2011/November/11.02.11Communities.pdf
Awesome. Another "Chuck you, Farley" from Mayor Rahm to those Chicagoans dependent upon this city's public resources.
Oh, and while I am at it? The mayor might want to think before he wastes our money on giving the G8 folks a hand-job. Remember how well it went when his predecessor tried wooing a major international committee to host their event here?
The closest library to Emanuel's house in Sulzer -- which will remain open on Mondays.
WORM EMANUEL IS A BIG BULLY. INSTEAD OF HIS ARROGANT B.S AND THREATS AND MAKING THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO SUFFER! HE SHOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH THE TIMES, COME TO THE CITIZENS OF CHICAGO AND HUMBLY ASK FOR OUR HELP seeing as how its his kind corrupt arrogant politicians THAT CAUSED THE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN CHICAGO GOVT
This is his pay back to Michelle O....dumb down those kids so they keep eating cr*p, like I had to take from you Michelle...signed, Rahm "Eat This Michelle" Emanuel
"Or as he might put it—let those fuckers get their books on Amazon!"
I might take your writing more seriously if it didn't include bits like this. Dan Sinker already did the funny Twitter feed. I mean, do you really think Rahm said that? To say someone 'might have' put it one way or another is just BS. You're a journalist for crap's sake, get it together.
Rhambo is going to need that TIF money to cover all the police brutality cases the city will pay out after the G-8 Summit.
I imagine Ben is now delighted to learn the news that branch libraries will not be closing on Mondays after all: http://www.suntimes.com/10131449-417/emanu… Given his impassioned advocacy for libraries being open seven days a week, I'm sure Ben considers this to be great news.
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