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!