I wonder if the branches are being staffed at the previous levels, all services are available, and their hours are going to be the same. I also wonder if other branches are being cut back to service the 11 that were saved.

Library staff that thought they were transfered as of yesterday went to their usual place of employ.

Back to Nutter's incredible claim because I really, really don't want this to be missed.

Nutter announces a "plan" 48 hours before the branches were slated to be closed that some would be privatized with no specific information about which branches he (and be clear its him personally, not the Mayor's Office and City Council together) was OK with leasing to various non-profits which are supposed to spontaneously arise from thin air, what the various individual leases would cost, what the terms of the lease would be.

So with no public information about how a community group could set about organizing a Plan B non-profit, whether the mayor would approve it, how much money he would expect them to raise or how long their lease would be for - with none of that basic information laid out he has the sheer cajones to go in front of reporters and complain that its the lawsuit and City Council that is stopping non-profits from fundraising the amount of money cover the costs of the lease which he still hasn't even sketeched out estimates of for individual branches.

That's mindblowing. That is a remarkable piece of chutzpah.

Lets unpack this. Basically its this:
"I still won't tell the public or City Council what the building and labor costs for each of the 11 individual branches exactly are. I still won't say what a 'knowledge center' exactly is, what services it will and won't supply are. I won't say exactly what level of professional qualifications are required for those who will staff it are. I won't say what its hours will be or how long or how expensive its lease will be. I won't say which branches I would consider letting a non-profit run and what non-profit groups I would let run it (i.e. are we going to have Kingsessing Knowledge Center brought to you by Pepsi or will it be entirely vollunteer run with work shifts like a food co-op).

I am not beholden to the law and the courts, or City Council, or the public that elected me to divulge any of this information, I will just tell them what the "new plan" will be at some undisclosed future time and they accept it and if they know whats good for them thank me for it.

But because you interupted my schedule for unveiling my plan which I categorically refuse to discuss in detail before closing the libraries, its all of you other people's fault that the people who I will let run these 'knowledge centers' (who I won't tell you the complete list of yet) can't raise the money (which I haven't said will be how much for how long yet) to run these mystery facilities to an acceptable standard (which I haven't detailed yet) might have a hard time getting donors. Damn you all."

I'm sorry but this is just jaw-dropping in its arrogance.

Philadelphia may have a "strong mayor" form of government but this is a vision of a "because I said so and I'll tell how much and why and for how long if and when I feel like it, dammit" form of government. "Despotic" and "immature" are the words that spring immediately to mind.

-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.