EDITORIALS County officials out of touch once again
It’s hard to read about the flap over the Schenectady County Library makeover plan without thinking of it as yet another case of county legislative leaders trying to fix something that wasn’t broken. In the intervening weeks since officials announced the central library would have to close for 18 months, it has become increasingly clear that the library community — trustees, employees and a group of supportive citizens known as the Friends of Schenectady County Library — had been perfectly happy with a less ambitious (and far less expensive) plan several years ago. But, they said, legislative leaders basically dismissed them when they sought funding for it in 2004. Instead, county officials decided to go for something more grandiose. Thus was hatched the plan for a fancy new entrance, new theater, cafe and reading room — things most users and observers feel are unnecessary. When officials realized, little more than a month ago, that the plan would require closing the entire library for 18 months during construction, their reaction was, basically, so what? Fortunately, the public disabused them of the notion that such a closing wouldn’t matter — through a barrage of angry phone calls and letters to the editor. And so, in yet another decision reached without the consensus of library trustees or “friends,” legislative leaders reversed course — announcing (on a Saturday morning, no less) that they would also solicit bids for less-ambitious, alternative plans. Legislative leaders are behaving like they did last spring, when they suddenly decided the county’s sex-offender law wasn’t strong enough; like they did last fall, when they decided the community college’s music program should be moved from its current campus location to the middle of downtown; like they did last winter, when they decided the head of the county’s Youth Bureau wasn’t getting the job done and had to be replaced (at much higher cost) by someone with less education and experience. In none of these cases did leaders bother to consult the people most affected by the changes to see what they thought about them. And in virtually every case, these people were quite unhappy. The Democrats hold a commanding majority on the county Legislature, but they may not for long if they don’t stop imposing their will on the people of this county so indiscriminately and arrogantly.
Regarding your editorial of May 15, “County officials out of touch once again,” I sincerely hope people have been paying attention. As you so correctly pointed out, the library closing debacle is hardly the first faux pas the current county Legislature has made. And as you also pointed out, the Democratic majority may find itself in the minority if it does not stop imposing its will on the people of Schenectady so indiscriminately and arrogantly. And I’m a registered Democrat! TRICIA MARGAS Schenectady
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