Monday, August 23, 2010

Same Old New Hartford . . .

JUST when we started to think that New Hartford may have turned a corner toward a new era of transparency, we get THIS:

New Hartford library board approves agreement with town

Agreement?  What agreement? Where are the details?  Who decided for the Town and how?

Does the "Agreement" require the Library to make full disclosure of all the Financial information FOILed by Concerned Citizens of New Hartford for Honest and Open Government ... or is it silent on the issue, and maintains enough "status quo" on the Library Board so that nothing will change? (We're still interested why the Library's Form 990 discusses "leasehold" improvements)

Looks like the Wagons have been Circled.

8/24 UPDATE --
A reliable source indicates that the agreement merely reappoints most of the prior Library Board save one slot going to Mr. Wiatr of Concerned Citizens, and releases money from the town to the library.  That's it!

With no significant changes in a Library Board that was clearly operating outside of Town authority and oversight, Wiatr is put in a position of having his time wasted (perhaps to keep him out of "trouble"?). . . . and Taxpayers are stuck funding a group of people who are unwilling to open their books (finance books, not library books).

This makes one wonder what was the point of Mr. Tyksinski's drama over the library? A "dog-and-pony show" put on because the library board got caught.? . . .Or a distraction from the REAL issue of why the Library Board has failed to open its books to the public?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yes, we still have "private" control over "public" money. Every penney of taxpayer money going into all libraries should be subject to public disclosure and scrutiny.