All You Really Need to Know

From the Trenton Times, May 2, 2012, by Matt Fair:

“[Trenton Mayor Tony F.]Mack maintains that what his administration is offering in the learning centers is different from what traditional libraries offer, and he said there has been no violation of law.

“‘The distinction between what it is now and what it was then is that we can’t use it as a library per se, but we can have a city building with books and a city building with the internet and we can run it any way we see fit,’ Mack told council.”

“‘A lot of the decisions were made and, for whatever reason, we weren’t really consulted on the legalities of this,’ acting city attorney Walter Denson said.”

“Mack told council last night that he planned to cut the ribbon on the second shuttered branch — the former Briggs branch — on Monday, but council members asked him to hold off until the matter could be reviewed by the city’s legal department and by new city business administrator Sam Hutchinson.

“‘I don’t want him to open another one on Monday,’ council president Kathy McBride said. ‘I want him to wait until we figure out how the first one is running.'”

“‘A lot of the decisions were made and, for whatever reason, we weren’t really consulted on the legalities of this,’ acting city attorney Walter Denson said.”

“Mack has maintained that he was creating learning centers more in tune with the city’s grim fiscal realities. It was drastic funding cuts in 2010 that first led to the branch locations being shuttered and control of the buildings being handed over to the city, he said.

“‘If it takes $65,000 or thereabouts to manage each of these branches on a part-time basis and it’s costing us $2 million to manage one library on a full-time basis, I believe we really need to think about the cost,’ he said.

“Council members, however, questioned the mayor’s budget figures for the facilities. Under questioning from North Ward Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, Matthews said the utility bills for the Skelton branch in fiscal year 2010 totaled $15,000.”

“‘A lot of the decisions were made and, for whatever reason, we weren’t really consulted on the legalities of this,’ acting city attorney Walter Denson said.”

“Council members Zachary Chester and Phyllis Holly-Ward asked to have the city’s law department review the legality of the facilities. According to state statute, any public buildings opened to provide library services must be under the control of the local library board.”

“‘A lot of the decisions were made and, for whatever reason, we weren’t really consulted on the legalities of this,’ acting city attorney Walter Denson said.”

Any Questions?