It is
with interest that I note the Governor
of Maryland's successful fund raising effort that reportedly brought in over
$20 million on behalf of the national Democratic Governors' Association.[1] This is rather close to the budget of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System.
The Maryland Politics blog points out that the Governor's "position will also continue to provide
O’Malley a platform with which to continue building a national reputation."
Prince George's might hope that he might also consider helping the county build
a better library system able to address the growing needs of information access
in the age of the internet.
Because
of budget challenges the library has had to reduce operational hours inconveniencing
its customers, the people of Prince George's County. There is reason to believe
further budget problems will be coming as the county tries to deal with its
looming shortfall.[2]
More reductions in the libraries funding
most likely will result in branch
closings. Maybe the Governor could raise a few million for libraries in Prince
George's County as well as the rest of state while he is on a roll.
In the
interest of full disclosure I am one of the trustees (unpaid, no compensation,
no allowance; we serve because it is the right thing to do) of the county
public library system and thus have a fiduciary responsibility to maintain and
protect county this special county resource that helps anyone regardless of
economic status.
[1]
Aaron C. Davis. Under O’Malley, DGA fundraising up in 2011. Maryland Politics,
The Washington Post. January 3, 2011. [accessed January 3, 2012]
[2] Miranda
S. Spivack. Pr. George’s looks for new revenue. PostLocal, The Washington Post.
December 25, 2011. [accessed January 3, 2012] http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/pr-georges-looks-for-new-revenue/2011/12/22/gIQAV4quHP_story.html
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