Thanks, Marv.

Nice shirt, Marv. It almost brought tears to my eyes. ;-)

Breath of fresh air?

There is a new Facebook page regarding Troy issues worth looking into. You can find it here. It appears to have been started by some TCU folks with integrity who came to understand that many legitimate voices were being blocked and honest dialogue was being stopped by the people who secretly manage TCU. I want to thank and honor their efforts at trying to start an honest discussion. That's all this blog has ever aspired to accomplish.

For those who might be new here, who have been denied access to the data that I've presented here in the past, many times, I wish to point out that there has been a legitimate "Option 3" on the table since May 9 (updated since May 6). Most of the Troy City Council and several of the senior administrative staff have been exposed to this directly, more indirectly. This plan is not for the ideologues and weak-spirited because it argues for across-the-board cuts (which balances the budget) and does so to make the point that that the city had broken faith with the voters and must, simply must, make dramatic and possibly Draconian cuts (~25%) per department to demonstrate good will and reestablish credibility within the community. Only then will it be possible to ask for what is necessary: additional revenue that are needed to back-fill at least some of the lost revenues to insure this community remains in the top tier of SE Michigan communities and poised to compete when the economy finally turns.

This is not an easy argument to make. Essentially we are saying, have been saying, that both sides are as right as they are wrong. I remain hopeful and confident that the good citizens of Troy will understand this nuance and given the complex times in which we live will "get it."

In other words, I have more faith in you than either the city or TCU has. Again, please review the alternative plan we call Option 3 (and Option 3a) and be sure to look closely at the Supplemental Data that demonstrates the City of Troy has had an operating deficit since 2002.

Study this, ponder this and come to the discussion better informed.

Happy Thanksgiving

I have a lot to be thankful for and I thought that given the extreme anger and bitterness in our community lately, I would say a few things about my own thankfulness. Much of this is quite personal, though I think knowing I'm real with real issues and a real family might make me somehow more real to you.

And so, I'm thankful for:

1. My ability to return home and help my mom in her daily challenges of living with her condition and her continuing health degradation.
2. The doctors who have kept my mom alive, who help her breathe, who have been supportive and helpful in getting medicines neither one of us can afford.
   
3. For my older sister and one of my older brothers who have helped my mom and I stay in the condo we live in through their financial assistance.
4. For the VA doctors trying to save my other older brother's life, and maybe his leg.
   
5. The fact that all my five other siblings are alive.
6. The medicines that help my older sister live (Google "suicide disease" to see why).
7. The woman I love, who drives me crazy and leaves me flabbergasted. And yet I couldn't imagine my life without her.
8. The knowledge that my younger sister has not only survived breast cancer, but fights hard daily to save her marriage and believes there is value in the struggle. She is a beacon of light to her sons. And me.
   
9. The jobs I have, which while below my skills and experience, are decent, honorable jobs that allow me to serve the public, which is what I love the most.
10. The city of Troy, which is dysfunctional, angry, bitter and broken, allowing us all the opportunity to come together as a community, a family, and come to terms with that which we don't wish to compromise. We will. And we will force them to, as well. It must be so.
11. For God, the Force of life within us all, the Power that animates our otherwise empty vessels, filling with both fear, anger, sadness and retribution, but also joy, love, empathy and forgiveness. Why both? Because we must understand our weaknesses to appreciate our strengths. This is the path to our better selves.
    

I love this holiday because it's still mostly pure. We only wish to pause and give thanks, to our loves, our friends, our families or our God. Maybe a parade, with the kids. Or maybe a football game, with pals. But no shopping. No gifts. Just families and friends spending time at the dinner table with one another.

Maybe we can come together at another table, in a conference room somewhere, and give thanks for the community bequeathed to us, the community we are responsible to heal and grow. I give thanks for the belief that this is still possible.

May you all have a peaceful evening and know the true thanks we must all recognize we owe someone in our lives.

How I see it

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not engaged. These issues are very intense, potentially explosive, and quite controversial. And that's why this site is about the truth. I could say something every day about the latest "news" or did you hear what so-and-so said. But that's not how I operate. It's been a time for reflection and deliberation for me and I wish more people would do that more often. I think we'd have a better understanding of things if we thought more and talked less.

Regardless, now 14 days after the fact, here's what I see:

1. City council won. Yes, that's right. TCU did not win. City council won because they got what they wanted - continued control over the library issue. I tried to warn everybody about how this outcome would just create more dysfunction within our community, but evidently not enough people saw it this way. Just wait until you see this go on a few more weeks/months and once city council acts, or doesn't, then we'll get to see TCU hyperventilate and act, based on city council, and the game that cleaves this community will continue. Remember, I warned you. Several times.
   
2. No one at TCU has a plan, a clue, or even a thoughtful idea to move us toward a solution. It's just more of the same "get your financial house in order" nonsense. This is nonsense because there are no actual suggestions on how to do that. I'm sorry, but gutting the few egregious pensions is a drop in the bucket and, while a nice political gesture (TCU's stock in trade - all show, no go), does not fund the library. The devil is in the details, as the old saying goes. To that end, there needs to be a real plan.
   
3. There is a real plan. Clint Meyer and I submitted a plan back in early May. Our plan, the one we call "Option 3" and "Option 3a" is not rocket science. It's across-the-board cuts that balance the budget and saves the services, if not all jobs. Yes I know others have suggested across-the-board cuts, but they listened to the city council and the city manager talk about $22.6 million "deficit" and so they argued for a 7-10% cut. It seemed logical, though it wasn't. The city manager just sat there and repeated, "That won't work" without saying why. He still hasn't. Why won't it work? Check out the numbers: the actual deficit is over $82 million! Our plan is backed up with numbers, the city's financial data, and a rationale for action. It spares no one, but it destroys no one either. No one else has produced such a plan, to my knowledge. It's very tough medicine, at around 25% cuts per department, based on where we were in May, but it's the only path forward and the only path to demonstrate good faith to the community. This is something entirely lost on the council majority and the city manager. Until that broken faith is restored, we are lost. And eventually, even the police department will be cut dramatically because they'll be the only ones left.
   
4. The Ed Kempen "plan", which really is only a wish, will either be ignored by city council or if it's seen in concert with the 15,000+ Yes voters, not to mention the other 1,546 possible Yes voters on the other proposals (the difference between total ballots cast and the total number of Yes and No votes cast on Proposal 1), it might yet have some political influence, though I don't see it moving a fourth vote. We'll see.
   
5. The past is not to be ignored unless we wish to continue in this broken manner. I'm not arguing for placing blame. There is no value in that. But the past is where we can clearly see the errors that led us here, the obfuscation that hid the truth from us, and why we must act with full knowledge of the past to fix the present.
   
6. The people behind the bogus proposals, whether TCU, the Troy Tea Party, Frank Howrylak, Bob Gosselin, or all of them, stole the election by subverting democracy and they should be ostracized from the conversation. They have no place at the table. They are not interested in dialogue (they continue to block me from their Facebook page to avoid the truths I present). No one should be surprised by this. Not now.
   
7. Martin Howrylak's letter was not honest, his timing was no accident, and his previous commitment to me (and Clint) about supporting a library-only initiative "as long as it was below one mill" was a commitment we reported to library supporters and relied upon. Martin denies this, tells me ether I misunderstood him or he did not make himself clear. I could buy that, except that Robin Beltramini informs me that he told her the same thing and has publicly stated this in the recent past. So I'm not wrong in understanding Martin's artifice. I like Martin, personally, although I know that puts me in the minority in this town. He's a fascinating character, has a firm grasp on more things that people give him credit for, but he's not being forthright here and I don't respect that.
   
8. It's inevitable that the police department will take real financial hits - at some point. The fiscal situation is dire and the truth is that our Option 3 or something very close to it is going to be the only path to getting the budget balanced.
9. And lastly, thank you Rhonda Hendrickson for your efforts.
   

Look, there is a lot of blame to go around on both sides of the issue. I don't care about that now. I only care about getting a plan that begins to solve our city's problems and sets us up for the future. We've put such a plan on the table and it's high time people actually read it. It's not a gift to any "side" in this argument because while it hits the city hard, requires strong leadership to push the unions into cuts they don't want to absorb (not to mention city administrators who appear to be the actual main obstacle to this solution), it also demonstrates that this fiscal crisis is very real and will require additional tax support from the community to back-fill the significant loss in revenue that appears will continue for another couple of years. This is real. Mr. Szerlag is not lying to us, even if he's done a very poor job of communicating it and chosen a cynical political strategy (threatening the library/museum/nature center) to make his point. If you want the city you live in to survive and be positioned to thrive once the economy recovers, you had better look closely at real facts, not the useless nonsense of the uninformed, like TCU, who act from emotion instead of data. Both sides must now face the truth of the reality of the mess and the necessity of honest communications. We all need to pitch in. Please start by reading our Plan.

Still processing

I'm still too mentally and emotionally exhausted to offer value right now. But thankfully Sharon isn't. If you haven't checked into her blog, please do. You can find her here.

There are two things I'd like to say, though:

1. Thank you to the Troy voters who supported us, who understood the actual stakes in this enterprise and who were not fooled by the deceptive strategy of TCU. Less than 700 votes out approx. 30,000 cast is frustrating, but not as frustrating as realizing that there probably 1,546 Yes votes on the other proposals that can't be attributed to "everyone just voted Yes on all proposals." That's their line and it's false. More on that when I'm up to it.
   
2. For anyone still naive to think we can run the library on $2.2 million, please know this, and take from someone inside who knows the drill, but we're starving to death. We're bleeding staff and we're beyond maxed out in duties. Service is beginning to suffer and the only reason we haven't keeled over yet is that this is a highly dedicated, very professional and deeply caring staff.
   

Have a great weekend and don't forget to check in on Sharon's blog. And hold onto your hats Monday night.

Finally...

Here it is, Monday night, Election Eve, with a long road yet to go to resolve our whole fiscal mess (and I'm not implying additional tax revenues), but with the first important and necessary step immediately before us - saving the funding for the library and removing it from the political shenanigans that disgust us - so we can rise above together, put our differences aside, and support a citizens-initiated, citizens-funded, and citizens-managed campaign to save our wonderful library and come together to support that effort. What could be more conservative, or liberal, than that?

Do we, the supporters of Proposal 1, feel manipulated into this action? Of course we do. Should it have come to this? Of course not. But now, none of that matters. In case you've been asleep the past six months, the city council eliminated funding for the library next year and forever more, after essentially halving it this year. Not just jobs, but careers and dreams were lost this year. Much more will be lost next year.

Let's face it: Is there anyone in Troy not ready for this thing to end? The attacks, deceptions, manipulations, as well as all the flyers, earnest calls for support, calls, ringing door bells, etc.

Well, guess what? If you want this to be over, really over, and not just begin the next round of argumentation, campaigning, posturing and to somehow find a way to stop Troy from looking like the embarrassing regional drunkard living on past glories who just won't stay down on the ground because he thinks he can still get up and kick your butt, then vote yes on Proposal 1 so we can all get on with saving Troy from itself.

Otherwise, it continues. The library won't, but the arguing, name-calling and that awful feeling that is gnawing at you as you think, "What happened to Troy?" will not go away.

Tuesday we begin the process of taking back our city. Stand up, man up and recognize the gift this library is for the entire community and, yes, pay the reasonable and measured amount necessary to keep it alive and vital. We don't need a book warehouse. We need a library staffed by librarians who have served this community and know you, know your children, and know how to serve information to them. Damn it, we deserve a library and all that it implies in the modern information age. And then that reasonable "cost" will be seen then for what it is, a small investment that pays significant dividends, quarter after quarter, year after year, for what was and will once again be the wonderful community of Troy, Michigan.

We haven't felt much like that lately, have we? That's why it's up to us to change the narrative, adjust the message, and remember why we came here in the first place.

Vote Yes on Proposal 1 and only Proposal 1 tomorrow. It's not the perfect solution. It's just the only solution. Pass it on.

Children in the sandbox

If there is any good to come out of the deceitful letter from Councilman Martin Howrylak and the incredibly overreactive response of the Mayor (THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION!!) it is this: This is exactly what I've been talking about for months. Two political views, both of which have little to do with what most of us think, are hellbent on destroying each other, the hell with you, me or the library.

Remove the library from the cancerous battles of those who care more about their egos than our community. Free the Troy Public Library. Vote YES on Proposal 1 this Tuesday.

Meaning

Working at the Troy Public Library is an honor, a mission and a very serious responsibility to the community in which I've lived for many years. And it provides a fascinating perspective of our community, a place where you can hear a dozen languages spoken within five minutes (with little children who speak pitch perfect English, btw), see literally tens of thousands walk through the door each month, and watch young children squeal with delight at being in the "libary." We get to see elderly residents fulfill their lives with culture, study, entertainment and conversation, and sometimes we get to steady a young mother who desperately needs information on the cancer she was told she has, or the condition her child was just diagnosed with. And these days, we seem to be helping an awful lot of people write resumes, search online for jobs, and file their unemployment claims on our computers. If we were not here, where would they go?

This is what is at stake on November 2; nothing less than our community soul.

There lies before us, found in the records, narratives, stories, sacred texts and histories written through the ages, a great sweep of history; of enormous hardships, incredible heroism and tragic outcomes. And we live in their shadow, affected by their existence and outcomes, here today because history brought us here. And they can all be found in one place, under one roof - right now - with guides and servants we call librarians, who will show you were they can be found (hint: most are not on the Internet - though we'll guide you there too). At times this is done in good humor, yet in others it is done with profound reverence. These servants gauge your request, purpose and meaning to determine how to appropriately respond to your need - even if your actual request even fulfills your need and whether they can direct you to a more appropriate resource - Google that! It is their training, their understanding and their judgment that makes them true professionals and guardians of that which we hold dear - human knowledge and understanding.

In this context, the City of Troy and its current internecine battles for our way of life seem almost mundane, even pedestrian. How in the name of history can we even begin to compare our trivial issues with a past that includes the entire scope of history? But there is nothing trivial about this dispute.

This is our history, our moment. If we let those who would exploit this community asset for political purposes, to manipulate a specific financial outcome and carry the day, tax or no tax, we are finished as a viable community of decent people who have built upon two generations of earlier decent people with vision, a world-class library.

Think about that: Troy, Michigan, our hometown, our little suburb in Greater Detroit, has what can legitimately be called a "world-class library." Why this isn't the focus of our community pride for everyone is mystifying.

Is a mall more important than that? Are a few less potholes more important than that? And is having our police department racing around in sports cars more important than that? Outside of our school system, which by the way is perfectly complementary with the mission of the library, there is no more important aspect of our community. This isn't mere hyperbole, but a factual and data-based reality.

This is a library. This is not a political, financial or egotistical lever. This is our community's face, it's soul presented to the world. In it we tell those who would listen, business people, new home buyers, even our local community neighbors aspiring to live here, who we are. And today we can tell them, we are special, not because we think we are, or because we say we are. And not even because objective third-parties say we are, though they do. But because those who know us, who know libraries, pause in respect and say "The Troy Public Library, well, you can't even park there."

This debate isn't about how mad you may be at the city council. Yes, we agree it was unconscionable for them to support the city manager's Option 1 that included defunding the library. And yes, we feel manipulated. So is closing the library the answer??

And it isn't about whether money can be squeezed from other departments, thus starving or killing them (the fiscal reality is beyond those who would seek to deny reality, namely the Troy Citizens United), or punishing those that have won the pension lottery (it doesn't save the library and besides, half the city employees and almost all the library employees are part time with no benefits). It isn't about whether you are a good conservative or Tea Party person. And it surely isn't about whether you are mad at President Obama or the Pelosi Congress. Those things are all real, all legitimate, and utterly beside this moment's point.

The only thing that now matters, the only question that is before us, is do we, the residents of Troy, deserve a world-class library and are we willing to pay a reasonable price for it?

I think the question is absurd. Of course we do and of course we are. Make no mistake, Proposal 1 saves the library and nothing else will. The effort to "save" the library with no new taxes might save a shell of a library, but we deserve better than that. We've invested too much over the years to let that happen. The reckoning for the city council and this administration is next November, through the ballot box, the way democracy is supposed to work. Make your case - up or down. No cowardly manipulations of the process. If you don't have the principal of your convictions behind you, just shut up. But the reckoning for the Troy Public Library is Tuesday - and it's all or nothing.

Please, support Proposal 1 and allow history to continue to unfold for all of us who choose to follow and study it for the lessons of tomorrow and those of us who are not yet here, those for whom we build this legacy: our children's children.

An act of faith

"A library implies an act of faith." -- Victor Hugo

Think about that. And think in truth, in crystal clear vision about those that would use it for political gain or threaten it with cynical manipulation of fact - from either side. Think about that. Think about them.

Who's community is it? It's yours.

Rise above, my friends. Stay positive. And remember this: most of these people, on either side of the despoiled coin, are sincere in their distorted views of truth and reality. And that's why we need to take charge. The ready middle, the angry independents, the so-called moderates, who are in fact the vast majority of the electorate. The third way, the middle path, is set before us. We must act.

The reckoning for what kind of community we desire, the kind of community that grasps the importance of world-class library if we want to be a world-class city is this November, on the second, in just 11 days.

Vote on November 2 and vote YES on the first library initiative listed - Proposal 1 - that was determined in the light of day in front of and with the input from hundreds of library supporters, in public meetings the entire community was invited to attend. The others? No one knows. They don't talk, won't admit who is really behind this. Their strategy was done in the dark, the people behind it remain hidden, and honestly, do we need to know anything else about them?

It's up to us. We are the gatekeepers of the future of Troy. Believe it. Believe in yourselves and believe in your neighbors. We can alter the path of cynicism, but it starts with us. We are up to it.

I'm back

It's been a bit over three months since I made my last post to this blog. Many (a surprising number, actually) have asked why. Well, mostly because I needed to stop participating in this cynical soup and get on with my life (btw, no "anonymous" comments posted during my absence are mine - none). It was killing me. The city administration, the majority on the City Council, the political activists who would deny you the meaning of your vote (now we see the true meaning of their actions two years ago), it seems no one has clean hands. I suppose that's the nature of the political beast.

But of course that's only true if we allow it to be true. We often forget that those involved in making the arguments, pro and con, aren't the only ones directly involved. In fact, the largest group of people we forget about are those in the middle, the people who are too busy supporting themselves or their families to jump in and do much more than vote every year or two and pay their taxes. But I'm not forgetting them and I'm asking them, you, to remember, this is your city, this is your library, and take no pity on those who would risk them just to score political points.

And so I'm back, for now, to encourage you to act to save the library from both political extremes. We must vote YES on Proposal 1 and NO on the other proposals.

I think we've covered the City Council's and administration's failures pretty well in many previous posts. Some stunning actions while I was away from the blog took place, especially the tacit admission by both that Option 1 was never really a "plan." How else can we understand the Council's approval of the City Manager's request to hire a consultant for $200,000 to give the plan a...plan? I do believe I told you this very thing in several posts. I hate to say I told you so, but... And you can't fully understand this issue without understanding the implications of Option 1. Option 1 is why we're here. But again, we've made our argument here and here in the past (the numbers work - we'd be happy if anyone would refute them, but no one has) but it seems most of us realize that we have more pressing, more immediate concerns right now: saving the library.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the issue we have the Troy Citizens United. According to what I've heard and witnessed directly from some of the Council members, those on the majority side, they see them as monolithic and malignant. This is not the path to dialogue and solutions. And yet I sort of get it. Having now watched a small group of people with sincere beliefs (small government/low taxes) with whom I am typically sympathetic, spew absurdities, bend the truth if not outright lie about facts, manipulate people's frustrations and fear, relish in their ignorance of factual realities, all designed to deny the voters their voice, their right to decide, I wonder if I've gone down the rabbit hole (we have that book at the library - get it while we still have a library).

And really, does anyone doubt that a simple yes or no vote on just the library wouldn't pass by a wide margin? Of course it would. And that's why the very people who brought us the argument that all such choices should be made by the voters (I'm okay with that) now work tirelessly to deny you that very choice (I'm not okay with that) by bringing those additional bogus proposals for funding the library forward (anyone willing to deny this???) designed to confuse and manipulate voters. They even now claim you should vote them all down as if it's the city or the library that brought them forth out of some kind of overzealous demand for more money. Is this not the essence of deception, lies? I'd like to tell them this, probably in a nicer and more appealing way, simply lay on the facts and appeal to their better angels, but they are evidently blocking me from posting on their Facebook page since I posted last spring. I heard tonight that I'm not alone. How can one engage them in dialogue when they clearly do not seek dialogue? Shame on them.

Don't get me wrong. I'm really not trying to demonize either side. They both have arguments. And they're both wrong. We just seem to be caught in an ideological war, even a war of egos, that no one seems willing to rise above. I don't believe anyone really wants the library to close. But make no mistake, both of these sides, the city administration/Council majority and the Troy Citizens United/Tea Party are willing to see it close just to make their political point. Is there anything more cynical than that?

It's a game of political chicken and the library loses either way unless the rest of us act. It's time. The tired middle, the exhausted, reasonable and moderate polity, the electorate who understands both of these sides is poisonous, toxic, cancerous to our community, can no longer sit idly by and watch both sides jockey for position and opportunity without any real regard to what we truly desire. Yes times are hard. But that's why we need the library now more than ever.

Proposal 1 is reasonable, measured and appropriate. It was crafted in the light of day with full citizen participation in open public forums. It will raise less money annually as property values decline and unlike most library proposals it is not in perpetuity or even 20 years, but has a term of just ten years. But it will save the library, allow previous service levels to be recovered, to a certain extent, allow the possibility of rehiring our librarians (When did it become a sin to seek a professional career in actual public service?), provide accountability directly to the public and put the library above and beyond the political fray. It is not an extreme proposal. In fact, it is the antidote to extremism.

If Proposal 1 fails, the library will close next year in late June, if not sooner. Once gone it will probably never come back. This isn't fear mongering. This is merely recognizing that those who won't support it now surely won't support it once they learn how much it will cost just to reopen. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. This is throwing away the millions invested over the past 47 years, not to mention the heart and soul of so many that worked so hard to get us the library we have today. This is fiscal and moral insanity. And they will close it. The City Council and City Manager have been unequivocal in their insistence on this point. Whether this offends you is not the point. The reckoning for that pose is next November. But the reckoning for the Troy Public Library is this November, on the 2nd, not even three weeks hence.

No other proposal will save the library. The so-called Citizens to Save the Troy Public Library With No New Taxes are proposing an unfunded mandate. How liberal of them. But what's worse, the city can fulfill this ill-conceived nonsense (sorry, Ed, I know you mean well) by using a room in the Community Center and keeping the library director and a couple of part time circulation aides on to fulfill the state requirements. No story time for the kids. No computers for job seekers. No new purchases of current material/data. No databases for research. No assistance. Nada. No real library at all. Only a shell to expose the absurdity of this "solution." Just as bad, it perpetuates the political polarization, allowing the city to make the next political move by setting up said "library shell", thus setting up TCU's next petition/move and the game continues, on and on. This must stop. Now is the time to stop it and we are the people to do it.

The library isn't an expense. It's an investment; in our community, our children and their children. It's an investment in ourselves.

Holbrook Jackson once said, "Your library is your portrait." And so it is. What will Troy's portrait look like next July?

If you allow this library to die, Troy will begin to die as well. "The beginning of the end of civilization is when they start closing libraries." This quote came from a head-shaking patron in Warren when he heard I work at TPL. I couldn't agree more. This is truly scaring people all over because they understand if you can close a library in Troy, a library as excellent as Troy's, then you can close one anywhere. This entire region gets it.

Do we?

Stand up!

I'll be there. Will you?

A call to arms

Waiving arms, that is. Waiving toward reach other, not at each other, across this ideological divide within our community. It threatens to permanently damage us so now is the time to move beyond it, to embrace the common wishes which bind us a community.

The whole point of this blog was to bring people from differing points of view together for a community solution to our fiscal problems. To a certain extent we've failed - so far. Too many people in positions of authority are more concerned about their positions than they are about the truth. I wish it wasn't so, but since no one in authority has ever attempted to prove us wrong, for obvious reasons, we consider our case proven. And since none of them have stepped forward to say, "Okay, I'll cut my salary to $80,00 or $90,000 per year during this crisis" then it's clear these are not people with the community's best interests in mind.

But as the old saying goes, "You're right - so what's your point?"

Well, at the moment the point is this: One institution in this community, one keystone of civilization - our library - stands athwart the madness of political maneuvering and agendas from all manner of sources (politicians, administration personnel, unions), and yet is threatened with its very existence. But it is also the single source of convergence, the one thing we can all agree is valued, valuable, and worth coming together to fight for. So let's put aside our differences, even the large ones, and get behind this effort.

I know the people behind this effort and they are not doing the bidding of the City Manager or City Council. They are, as we all are, genuinely concerned about the kind of community we'll end up with if we let the 40 years and millions of dollars invested into building one of the finest community libraries in the country go to waste. And that would be wasted money.

Saturday morning, at the library, come and lend your voice to the process. Stand up and say you resent the city manipulating of the process if you must, but remember, this is our library and this effort is all about taking it back. Let's put the public back in the Troy Public Library.

To be or not to be

[I wish to apologize for this blog's problems over the weekend and this past week. I thought I had them resolved earlier, but it appears that if you didn't use a web browser that isn't from Microsoft you had problems accessing previous posts. It now looks resolved. My apologies.]

No matter how much data is unearthed that refutes the city administration's "need" to close the Troy Public library on the pretext of balancing the general fund, and no matter how much more money the city administration continues to funnel into the police department, it is becomingly increasingly clear that our city leaders damn well intend to close the library on June 30, 2011. Believe it.

Others do.

I note the Troy Citizens United folks are complaining a bit (not all of them) on their Facebook page about the attempts by the residents (spearheaded by the Friends of the Troy Public Library), to put a dedicated millage proposal on the November ballot. I understand those concerns. But TCU supporters, with all due respect, now is the time to set aside rigid political philosophies for practical considerations. This is a call for a rare opportunity to combine community honor with personal interest. It is an incontrovertible fact that our very high quality library delivers huge value to our community's intellectual, economic, and social life -- not to mention our property values! Surely it is evident that the passage of this millage would free the library from the chains of political agendas (now and in the future) that can threaten to deliver irrevocable damage to our community.

Yes, it's true that if all the other rumored millage proposals (police, nature center, etc.) come forward at the same time (they won't), it would be a worse and more expensive combination than the original proposition put before the voters this past February. But what did everyone expect? Does anyone really think that allowing the library to be shut down without a fight is a solution to the city's fiscal crisis? Reality check time: We need to get behind this effort to fund the Troy Public Library, no matter how manipulated we feel by the city. Remember, there are other actions that can be taken to assuage that anger.

For more information on how you can help and follow this process, please go here. Information about how to join the process or attend the rally on July 10 (wouldn't it be awesome to get 1,000 or more people out there for that), can be found there. Tell your friends and your neighbors. We may argue about its services, costs, organizational structure and funding requirements, but if we don't support a new, dedicated and modest millage proposal, there will be no further point to such arguments. It will be too late, and quite possibly forever.

Please, everyone . . . let's save the library now and argue the other points later. See you July 10!

Next!

The carnage continues at the library. So many good people, caring people who have given the high level of service the community has come to expect at the Troy Public Library, are being let go today. Several were told yesterday, but most are hearing today.

One by one they are being called into the Director's office and getting the bad news. And while waiting to find out...Who's going to be called? My shift is over, is it safe to go home? Should I report tomorrow? What is happening? Am I safe or am I gone? Did you hear about...?

This is the real face of Option 1.

I despair for our community. I despair for the truth. But today I despair for my co-workers, many of whom are going to sit at their dinner tables tonight with not much of an appetite, trying to convince themselves it will be all right, a gnawing pain in the pit of their stomachs, some wondering why, some wondering how they're going to be able to pay bills, afford medicines, etc.

Real lives, real people. Please remember them when you think about this situation. It's not an intellectual exercise, a financial game, or a political opportunity. It's either a bad situation forced by circumstances, or it's a moral and political scandal. What do you think?

Monday, bloody Monday

This had to be a tough weekend for a lot of people. Today and through the remainder of the week many library part time staffers are getting the sack as the library unwinding continues. Information can be found here on the library's Facebook page. As of today, no one in authority has communicated who these people are. All we know is the day they are told will be their last day.

So next time someone tells you about the "highly paid city workers", ask them if they know any of the $8-$13 per hour part timers who had no benefits and now have no jobs after years of service. And the next time someone tells you they aren't going to close the library, just take a look at how fast this is all coming apart.

A bridge too far?

I'm ill over this news. And I'm speechless. I suppose it speaks for itself.

Look for the union label...

...but look soon because unless the unions get real about the what is happening and how they are in fact becoming the enemy of the middle class, then they will cease to exist and having a union card will be something you'll hide instead of proudly display.

What is happening here? How is it public sector unions all over the country are bankrupting communities and states with no apparent push back? Certainly none in Troy. But do I detect a coming backlash ?

Michael Barone explains the phenomenon we're seeing, or maybe more accurately, the siege we're under. This is why, perhaps the only reason why, Troy is closing its library and ultimately laying off 100 library employees. Remember, the $3.8 million in fund transfers ostensibly meant to delay police layoffs is the entire annual budget (fully funded budget) for the library. Think about that. A person close to the process called that money, "Nothing." Nothing? It could have funded the library for an additional year. Of course that evidently does not serve Option 1 goals so it's moot to the majority of this Council. Incredible.

And if you really want to be depressed, the Cato Institute presents damning reality check statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on how public sector unions and public sector employees are far outpacing private sector salaries and benefits in this economy. It's stunning. Makes Barone's "parasitic" observation ring more true.

Can we survive as a city with a police department growing from 41% of general fund expenditures to over 57%? Granted much of this growth is by elimination of other services and departments, but even the police department understands that is untenable. If the City Council can't face it, and the city administration won't act on it, then the police department at least seems to be quite aware of what this means. More on that in a later post. (Editor's note: And as always, I hope it goes without saying that the Troy Police Department is not the enemy. They have important jobs and they deserve better pay than the rest of us. But budget growth at the cost of shutting down the rest of the city?)

No free lunch

Like other communities and other libraries, Sterling Heights is acting; and you won't like it if you're one of those who believe it's not big deal if we lose library because we have other nearby libraries. We don't.

We need to get used to this kind of thing. Neighboring communities are giving us some of the same attitude I've heard within Troy about non-residents using our services. Never mind those residents buy gas here, eat lunch here, shop here, and in many cases I'm aware of, actually choose to move here. This is part of what galls me about the library being referred to strictly as a "quality of life" service. The Troy Public Library is an economic generator and a key component of community communications. The library has more to do with the image of Troy than anything else this side of Somerset. And yes, it is also a quality of life service. Since when did that become extraneous to the purpose of a community? Isn't quality of life THE determining factor in people's desire to live in a community? Is this how far the disconnect has grown in our city administration and City Council?

Winston Churchill once said...

...when you're going through hell, keep going. Sound advice.

It's June and I have many things I'd like to say. Some are rants and some are outright vents. But as much as I want to speak about things with a passion that would likely embarrass people in responsible positions, it really doesn't serve to accomplish anything beyond satisfying my own need to feel better about the injustices I see.

I can do better than that. We can do better than that.

So here are few items to move us into June:

1. Last week six long-time librarians were laid off effective June 30. That constitutes 6/7 th's of our entire full time librarian staff. These are the people primarily responsible for the library's standing, identified in the Hennen's American Public Library rating index, which states the Troy Public library as one of the finest library's in the nation - top ten in our population category. So why give the librarians the credit? First of all, the entire staff is responsible, but most know that without the librarians it wouldn't happen. They are on the front line of service, and do a job so misunderstood as to make me want to scream. And because according to the posting, "Data is based on statistics collected in the 2006/2007 reporting year." That means it predates both our current city and library administrations. And their reward is to lose their jobs. The library unwinding has begun in a big way and it's utterly shameful. Is this what our city has become?
2. We have some new data, as posted last week. It's quite fascinating in how it exposes the many missed opportunities to begin making the necessary fiscal adjustments by exposing the historical data. Please take the time to review it and comment or ask questions if you don't understand the numbers.
   
3. Our Option 3 &3A are still posted and available for your review. They can be downloaded and shared. No one has said they won't work financially. The only comments we keep hearing from many in city leadership positions is that there is no political will to do so.
   

And so we move toward the end of a painful and dysfunctional fiscal year. The future appears to dark for many. But I do not accept that judgment. It won't be easy, but we can drive our leaders to follow the path they don't want to follow. We can continue to appeal to our union staff's to give more and get over whining about what they already gave. The fact of the matter is that many of them will be giving back 100% shortly, as so many of the non-union staff's are giving now, if we don't come together and do it PDQ. And I say this as a city employee who is at risk and willing to give back to help our community save it's services. The only way to do that is to save the jobs that provide those services. This calculus is undeniable.

Most of us are ready to take pay reductions to fix this, or at the very least make it less draconian (the City Manager won't even consider it). But those that aren't, regardless of department, are making a choice to lay themselves off. Well, that's their choice to make. Many high earners will take early retirement which fixes a big mess, or leave for greener pastures, wherever those are. Choosing to leave voluntarily fixes a big mess, too. And the remaining employees will be here, at a lower rate of pay, to continue to serve the community.

What's wrong, exactly, with that plan?

Supporting Data

I'm taking the weekend off. I hope everyone does. These are tough times, but we're Americans and have survived tough times before. So let's remember this Memorial Day weekend those that gave the full measure in keeping us safe and free.

But here's some light reading to give you something to think about regarding our fair city. This was data the city required us to file a FOIA to get.

I'll have more to say about this next week, but please note the last time the city had general fund revenue that roughly equals the worst case projections...2005!

Friends of TPL Meeting Tonight

Sorry for the late post, but I've been working on the new (eye-popping) numbers we were forced by the city administration to get a FOIA filing to get. More on that later.

Anyway, there's an important meeting this evening at the library and a central focus is regarding the potential library-only millage request the Friends of the Troy Public Library are organizing to launch. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM. See you there.

For those who have read the Alternative Solutions to the Troy Budget Crisis, this meeting will probably engender mixed emotions. I know it does for me.

It's clear we need a dedicated funding source for the library. And it's clear the library is one of Troy's most cherished institutions and provides innumerable benefits to our community. But what's equally clear to me, and I hear constantly from residents, is that they feel the city has manipulated this outcome and they resent it. It's a fair assessment to my mind. And I would argue it could be put to rest by adoption of Option 3 or 3A in our Alternative Solutions report and the associated demonstration of good faith.

I think the voters will respond favorably to that once they see a) the city is finally operating transparently, and b) the city is taking strong medicine. I honestly believe the voters would not seek to punish city workers once the demonstration of shared sacrifice is apparent would reward them, moderately, with additional funding. But I fear this effort will take the pressure off the city to do the right thing with the budget. What do you think?

Play nice

I have mentioned in my comments that I reserve the right to delete comments that are inappropriate or unhelpful. I would like to be clear that while I'm trying to facilitate solutions through dialog, I don't consider lists of past sins, particularly very old past sins, accusations of malfeasance, irrelevant issues, personal attacks or otherwise angry rants to be dialog. Even if there is some truth in them, and I am not suggesting there is (or isn't), they miss the point of this blog - getting to a community consensus on how to resolve this budget crisis as opposed to further dividing an already divided community. Yes we have to be honest about how we got here, but keep that in the context of how we move forward.

I have, therefore, deleted some comments I feel are not conducive to bringing about a good outcome. I said I would be public about it if I took this step and so I am.

I would ask that anyone commenting use clear language, avoid any kind of negativity or derogatory personal comments or accusation, and please make your comments thoughtful. This is not about agreeing or disagreeing with any of my posts or any of the comments. I'm not trying to have a site where we all agree on all the issues because that means half the community has tuned out. The point, the hope, of this blog was to offer a place where we could begin to bridge those differences and understand that what this budget issue has done is exposed a division within our community that is unhealthy. It is my belief we can see this crisis as an opportunity to resolve this division through dialog and problem-solving as a community.

I have, at this time, blocked no one or turned the moderate function on. I encourage you all to comment, but again, make it clear, make it positive -- even in disagreement -- and please don't comment and re-comment on the same post. And I would really appreciate it if you would go to the Alternative Plan and comment on that.

Fair and equitable - in Royal Oak!?

Royal Oak gets it. Fair, equitable, and just - with all parties playing ball. And, in Royal Oak at least, if you refuse to play nice, then you also say goodbye to reasonable adjustments, and you get treated like this.

How about in Troy? Well, if you're lucky to be in the Troy Police Officers Association, you get to hold tight to your contract and claim to be virtuously upholding your end of the agreement while an entire community is under siege and many hardworking, good folks are losing their jobs. I know, I know. Binding arbitration. And while some folks are getting fitted for permanent blinders, the library is getting measured for chains and boarded up windows.

Royal Oak has actually said no to their police union. Why? Because at some point citizens have to. Troy's negotiators couldn't muster the courage to tell the union no last time (2008), even though Troy had already been running a deficit in the general fund for seven consecutive years at that point. Who negotiates a sweetheart deal like that under such circumstances?

And what happens if our leaders say yes to police union demands the next time? The implications of this are truly terrifying to ponder. The TPD is slated to grow from a healthy 41% of current general fund expenditures to an outlandish 55% of expenditures in the next two years under Mr. Szerlag's Option 1. You read that right.

Why? Because it's apparently easier to play hardball with librarians then police officers. But isn't that why we expect our leaders to do the right thing and, you know, lead.

I want to be clear. This is not a call to attack our men and women in blue. They ride through our community 24/7, in all kinds of weather, sometimes facing danger most of us can't imagine. Knowing they're out there patrolling our streets while we're sleeping allows everyone to sleep better. But come on guys, get in the game. You know you can't sit this one out. One way or another you will end up paying. And 5% isn't going to cut it. That ship sailed and we all have to pay. Fair is fair.

Incidentally, that goes for everyone else on the city payroll who thinks their job and their full salary is safe. All hands on deck! Let's figure this out together.

"Fair and equitable"

Just heard Councilwoman Kerwin claim during the broadcast of tonight's council meeting while lecturing that the people said, "Streamline." No one argues with that. But then she said, "We have to be fair and equitable with all our employees." I almost swallowed the lime in my gin & tonic. Really? So how can you support Option 1, the most unfair and inequitable approach to the current fiscal crisis?

For those that may have forgotten February 23, the people also said, overwhelmingly, "NO!" to Keep Troy Safe. Keep Troy Safe, the argument to avoid cuts in our fine police department, and it is a fine police department, staffed by fine people, lost. Badly. That means all departments should be on the table. All departments should share in the pain. Why are they in such deep denial about this?

Options 3 or Option 3A solve these dilemmas. It does in fact treat all employees fairly and equitably.

What next?

I'm very pleased to see people are discovering the site and commenting on the plan. Our goal has been from the start to insure a fair approach. The existing "plan" is not fair. Anyone not entranced by Mr. Svengali can see that. My seven year-old nephew sees it.

I'll have more to add within the next couple of days, but please know that we have been quietly meeting with City Council members and trying to expose for them what we keep hearing the city administration will not share. We are still trying to reach out to them and remind them that the truth shall set you free. This site is our public face and we've only just started. But we've not given up on good old-fashioned button-holing.

I'm just one guy, trying to get the word out through this site. And Clint and I are just two regular residents trying to get the plan a fair hearing (and Clint's done by far most of the work on that score). We have no political agenda. We are just trying to stop this trainwreck.

As for me, I think once real cuts are made, fair and equitable cuts, and the residents see the result and need to improve services and understand that the information is now credible and free from manipulation, they will support a modest increase in mill rate to keep us from falling off the cliff. I know some of you will disagree, arguing that no increase under any circumstances will do. I respect that view and simply ask that if its your view, make the argument. Clint believes that the original mill rate request was appropriate and keeps us as we were - a damn nice place to live. I have no real quarrel with that view, but I still think the perception that it was excessive is legitimate and must be respected. How do you see it? Please comment on this.

I'll be out of town the next couple of days, but look for new documents soon, including the City Manager's contract, the Mayor's contributions to the "Keep Troy Safe" campaign that she now represents as an endorsement of keeping the Police Department free from cuts (the advertised cuts are not real, my friend, stay tuned for more damning information there too), and more details. I'm also looking at alternative posting options so the documents can be downloaded.

So please stay tuned and don't let a couple days of silence make you think no one is listening. Listening, engaging, is what this is all about. Now my real life, the one where my job is threatened, my city is in crisis, the truth is in short supply, is calling.

See you all on Monday.

FY 2010/11

Last night the Troy City Council did the unthinkable. It ignored the will of the people who voted overwhelmingly on February 23 to say NO to the "Keep Troy Safe" campaign, a campaign designed specifically to make the protection of the Troy Police Department and its unions its primary focus. Instead, the City Council, by a closer than expected 4-3 vote, passed a budget that not only keeps the police department from facing cuts next year (while the library and other departments face layoffs and outright closing), but actually increases its budget by $1.8 million. This in spite of the fact the city administration and some council members continued to deny this fact right up until last night.

Council members Howarylak, Beltramini and Fleming voted for the principle of fair, equitable and shared cuts and voted no. Council members Kerwin, McGinnis and Slater, along with Mayor Schilling voted to support leaving the largest single department (at 41% of the entire general fund) untouched.

The closeness of this vote along with a questionable legal ruling by the staff counsel leaves the door to modification slightly ajar. Stay tuned. No fat ladies singing just yet. Let the Council know what you think. Read The Plan for details the city won't share with you.

The Plan

To understand why the alternative plans work and make sense, you first have to understand the problem. The Introduction of the plan explains the truth the city will not, for reasons that remain murky, address. Lest you think we're crazy and not credible, the Assistant City Manager, the financial manager, has admitted to us that our numbers are, "Essentially correct."

So read The Plan here.

Today is the first day

Today we begin telling the truth, sharing it with all City of Troy residents, the way the city administration and City Council should have been doing all along. Today we begin the process to take back our community from the self-promoters whose campaign promises of fairness and openness we believed when they ran for office.

A real financial crisis exists in Troy. But you wouldn't know it from the pathetic efforts to avoid sharing the truth with the residents. Frustrated by the seemingly distorted and manipulated arguments from both sides, two regular residents, with no political agenda, simply decided to dig deeper. This is what we found.

1. The City of Troy five-year deficit is not $22.6 million - it's $82 million!
2. The City of Troy has been in an operating deficit for the past four years, taking money from capital projects to stave off the truth.
3. The City of Troy is claiming cuts to the Police Department while hiding millions in salary increases, negotiated during the deficit status environment listed in #2.
4. The residents of Troy said NO, almost 2:1 to the Keep Troy Safe campaign.
5. The Mayor will decide what that vote meant and you just keep quiet.

We will not be silent. We are done trying to engage the unengaged. We are done working within the system to help save face for those that are so ego-driven that they can't imagine why they would need to save face. We're going public, very public, to bring the force of the voters who state clearly on February 23rd that they expect the city to start treating them and everyone else fairly. We are concerned residents tired of the doublespeak and logical fallacies. We cannot accept that the library is not considered a core service, but merely a "quality of life" service. But of course, why else would we live in Troy if not for quality of life?

Join us. Follow this blog. Speak out. Do not let them steal your vote and tell you it means something other than what you damn well know it means. Stop them. Save our city.

Please refer to the post "The Plan" to see the report, City of Troy Budget Alternatives, and make up your own mind. And then, please post your opinions here. All opinions are welcome. All discourse is good and we will do our utmost to encourage it.