Library funding crisis

It's that time of year again.

State and city library budgets are increasingly in jeopardy, and it's up to the public to lobby in their favor.

Last year the proposed cut for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh system (which includes 29 libraries) was 65 percent, but after the public rallied, it was reduced to 35 percent.

Now that I am a library intern/volunteer there, I know firsthand how important the library is to people. It's sad that we have to beg for such a valuable public service. I am thankful to those who support funding, including these lawmakers. (Still, this is only to keep the libraries open until December 2010!)

House members scold Ravenstahl over funding for Carnegie Library

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Eight state House members from the city of Pittsburgh have sent Mayor Luke Ravenstahl a strongly worded letter complaining that he hasn't lived up to a commitment to provide Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh with $1.2 million over two years.

City Council last year approved, and the mayor signed, a bill giving the library system $600,000.

But Mr. Ravenstahl returned unsigned a bill council passed June 1 allocating the system another $640,000 -- money the system says it needs to keep all branches open through December. The bill now becomes law without his signature.

"This is an issue that we have all worked collectively on as elected officials, and we hope we may rely on you to finalize your piece," said the June 8 letter signed by Democratic Reps. Dom Costa of Stanton Heights, Paul Costa of Wilkins, Dan Deasy of Westwood, Dan Frankel of Squirrel Hill, Joe Preston of East Liberty, Harry Readshaw of Carrick, Chelsa Wagner of Beechview and Jake Wheatley of the Hill District.

By June 8, however, the mayor already had returned the bill unsigned, according to council records.

At the time the letter was written, the signers were all of the House members representing city neighborhoods. Mr. Ravenstahl's brother, Adam, of the North Side, was sworn in the next day to serve out the term of Don Walko, now an Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge.

Ms. Wagner, the chief author, acknowledged in an interview that the letter was unusual because of the signers' unanimity and the unusually stern language directed at the mayor.

The lawmakers said long-term and short-term financing plans for the library were ironed out at a Nov. 23 meeting of state, county, city and library officials at the Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown. The leaders convened as the library system was preparing to close a handful of city branches.

"At this meeting, which was attended by your chief of staff, Yarone Zober, we all came to an agreement that the city would provide $1.2 million in stop-gap funding for the libraries, and the state representatives would direct the city's share of the table-games revenue to (the library system).

"If you did not agree with this arrangement, then, as your representative, Mr. Zober should have voiced that opposition before the decision was made or could have alerted us within a reasonable time frame after that meeting."

The library system did not ask the lawmakers to send the letter, spokeswoman Suzanne Thinnes said.

So far, the library system hasn't received any money from the city; the first $600,000, though approved by council and the mayor, has not yet arrived, Ms. Thinnes said.

In recent weeks, mayoral spokeswoman Joanna Doven has said another $640,000 would amount to a "blank check" for the library system and come at a time when the city has its own financial worries. Besides, she said, there's nothing to prevent the library from returning next year and demanding yet another grant to keep branches open.