Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies

The Trenton Times this morning has an article by Matt Fair about the Administration’s plan to re-open the neighborhood Branches of the Trenton Free Public Library, closed since the Fall of 2010. The article picks up many of the points I made in my column from last weekend on the matter; including my contention that Mayor Tony Mack’s intention to re-open the branches without the participation and management of the Free Public Library is illegal under New Jersey State Law.

I won’t reiterate my objections to this deeply stupid and insulting plan, other than to say that today’s Times article validates my concerns. I will, though, talk about what Mr. Fair’s article reveals about the mendacity and malevolence in this matter.I have a LOT of questions.

In today’s article, Mayoral “Aide” Anthony Roberts is quoted as saying “Management of the learning centers were not put out for bid nor have we selected a group to manage our centers.” However, on April 13, Mr. Roberts sent to City Council a proposal from the Young Scholars’ Institute (YSI) to do just that: manage these Libraries!

Mr. Roberts, and Mayor Mack, how did this proposal come to be submitted to Council, if this was not put out for bid?

Did you lie, and actually put this out to bid among several groups?

Or, did you violate State contracting law and our Memorandum of Understanding with the State and talk to possible vendors without putting this out for bid?

Or, did the YSI come up with this idea on their own?

Has the Mayor’s Learning Center Library Committee been operating in secret coming up with this plan for over a year, despite what you disclosed to Jim Carlucci, after he filed an Open Public Meetings Act request? You disclosed to him that this Committee met only once, in January 2011, and did not generate any reports, plans, or Drafts of Plans.

Obviously there is a plan that has come out of this Committee, as you indicated in your April 13 letter to Council. Did you lie on your OPRA response to Mr. Carlucci?

Tell us about this Brian White. He is quoted in Mr. Fair’s article as saying “People know I’m on the committee and have been coming up to me.” His name was not on the list of Committee members you disclosed to Mr. Carlucci. Who is lying about his involvement: Mr. White, or you, Mr. Roberts? You can’t both be telling the truth!

And this Brian White also says, “I’m just an adviser, just a consultant until they figure out how much I’m going to be getting. So I’m just volunteering my time right now. I’ve been guaranteed a job though. I want you to know that.” [Emphasis mine. – KM]

Really? He’s been guaranteed a job? Does the Department of Community Affairs know this? Have they approved this? Somehow I doubt it.

At this point, I really do have to digress. The other day, I talked about the truly extraordinary document that is the March Minutes of the Trustees of the Public Library. Mr. Fair mentions those minutes in his article today, but he really does not do them justice. To get a real sense of how incredible they are – as the approved Minutes of a public body – take a load of this excerpt:

Director Matthews confirmed that the Administration has not been approached by anyone from the city to assist with the Mayor’s Libraries.

She stated that several employees of TFPL have been approached by Brian White, a former TFPL employee who recently resigned.  Mr. White has stated he is “supervising a new City department that is in charge of the Mayor’s Libraries”.  Mr. White has been contacting current employees offering them employment at the branches with “better pay”.

He has spoken with Telly Brown, our maintenance supervisor, asking for assistance and information about the branch facilities and referring to Director Matthews as a “bitch”.  In a text sent to Katheryn Spalding, Principal Librarian, Mr. White called Director Matthews an “evil person” and wrote that “City hall wants her out by all means. And they will.”

We are aware that Mr. White has also misrepresented his position at TFPL to officials at the City.  He has stated in meetings with Anthony Roberts and employees of ADPC that he “ran the Library”, was a Reference Librarian, and Director of the Summer Reading Program.  Mr. White was a Library Assistant at the Main branch prior to the 2009 Layoffs.  Mr. White has stated in these meetings that the budget for reopening the branches is approximately $424K.  This is the extent of our knowledge of the issue.

[Emphasis mine. – KM]

In the Times article, Mr., White says the Trustees have it all wrong: “library employees have been reaching out to him. ‘If anything, they’re calling me from the library.'”

So who are you going to believe: several Trustees and employees of the Library – who quote written texts they received – or this Brian White? Who is more credible here?

This gets to the crux of the matter: who is credible here, and who is lying?

In this article, there is clear evidence that this effort has been in the works for quite some time, despite OPRA documents to the contrary, despite denials that bids have been requested or third-party groups have been contacted.

In violation of not only State Law by Decency and Common Sense, the Mayor and his Administration have plotted In Secret to create a separate and parallel Library system.

They haven’t even attempted to explain themselves to the Public Library management and Trustees, nor to the State, nor to City Council, nor to the Citizens of the City of Trenton.

And they continue to lie about it.