At a raucous City Council meeting, attended by over 150 city residents, the City Council approved a Resolve reprimanding the SLMA for trying to sell the Mason Square Library and Step One of a three step process for establishing a City library department to run the city's libraries in place of the SLMA.
Though unanimous, the Resolve taking the SLMA to task for trying to sell the Mason Square Library Branch, was stripped of its teeth before passage. Clauses 2 & 3 were deleted from the resolve in an amendment proposed by Councilor Foley and supported by councilors, Foley, Rooke, Williams, Tosado and Dominic Sarno. These clauses laid the legal basis for a court case to challenge the sale.
The Ordinance establishing a department of libraries, passed 8 to 1 with Councilor Foley dissenting. He tried to make the case that passage of the ordinance would start a "war" with the SLMA and that "compromise" was needed.
A motion was defeated to table and essentially kill the proposed ordinance. Councilors Ryan, Kelly, Puppolo, Sarno, and Rosemarie Mazza Moriarity voted down the motion.
In the discussion on the motions, Councilor Ryan correctly pointed out that the fact that the SLMA did not even show up for the City Council Meeting, was an accurate indication of their unwillingness to work with the City Council Library Study committee.
Councilor Mazza-Moriarty made the point that the vote for the ordinance was needed to ensure that the department was in place to accept library funding for the next fiscal year starting July 1st, should it be necessary.
Councilor Puppulo was a co-author of the motions. Councilor and Chairman Kelly voted for the Resolve and the Ordinance and at one point tried to kill the proposed amendment stripping the resolve of its teeth by gaveling it through after a voice vote was taken.
An unsigned letter was read from the SLMA along with a letter written by attorney Craig Brown for the Urban League opposing the resolve and the ordinance.
Two more votes (known as Steps) are needed for passage of the ordinance.
It was announced at the meeting that Charlie Ryan, the Chairperson of the Study Committee, along with a representative from the McKnight Neighborhood and the Head of the City Council, will be meeting Thursday, May 8th with Joe Carvalho and the Library's corporate attorney to discuss the sale of the Mason Square Library and the lack of cooperation the Committee has gotten from the SLMA.
Charlie Ryan, also announced at the meeting, after being questioned by Councilor Williams, that the City Council Library Study Committee will complete its work and report back to the City Council on June 1st on the feasibility of the City taking over the Library system.