2 thoughts on “Moreno Keeps Library Governance in Limbo”

1. Vacancies: The public notice about the two vacancies went out in December and applications were received in January. The “normal” process has been for the Library Director to submit the applications to the BCC for its decision. The Library Director has exercised no discretion. In one instance I found by reviewing the BCC records, Library Director Humble forwarded the applications to include one applicant who was not eligible, he was not a county voter. In the most recent instance, Library Director Bell-Rivera told the Library Board in March that she had previously forwarded the applications to County Administrator Moreno. Moreno acts under the authority of the BCC so the blame is on the BCC. As a twist, Florida Attorney General Opinion 2010-51 Vacancy Not Created By Expiration of Term may mean that John Bullock and Liza Campbell whose terms of office ended in February (neither resigned) might still be Library Board members. As for “evaluating vacancies” on the Library Board, that is the job of the BCC not Moreno. Also, what is Moreno’s authority for requiring applicants to grovel before him? None.
   Cancelled Meetings: I was watching the BCC’s Public Forum on August 6th. A citizen raised concern about Moreno prohibiting the Library Board from holding its monthly meetings as required by the BCC’s Resolution 2013-17 establishing the Library Board. I think I heard Moreno give an excuse that the Library Board was not meeting because school was out of session. It seemed a nonsensical explanation even for Moreno.
   Solution: Let’s put the blame where it belongs on the BCC because Moreno is just their agent. The Pensacola City Council needs to terminate the city/county interlocal agreement, terminate the county’s authority to impose the Library Tax on “city” property owners and kick the county out of the three city buildings.

2. I was the editorial assistant at the Mass Historical Society, the country’s first historical society and one of America’s oldest, continually running publishing houses, whose peerless library of seminal works foundational to our democracy is free and open to the public. One of my favorite responsibilities was running the grants programs that supported scholars from all over the country by offsetting their travel and living costs to allow extensive research not just at the Mass Hist, but at two dozen regional libraries and museums. During that same time period, I worked at Child Library, the Harvard English Department’s library in Widener.

   The County’s library system being held hostage to politics like this is absolutely sickening and totally unforgiveable to me. But even though I might theoretically qualify-*ish* for the position, what this scenario doesn’t need is political advocates throwing their hat in to make a point. In my opinion (and that of many others), Wes is doing all this messing around not just to cultivate a culture for the book banners where books can be pulled off the shelves of County libraries with zero process, but because the book banners–and their anti-heroes Leonard, Adams, and Fetsko in the school system–would love it even more if there was no more Library Board of Governance period, at all, end of story.

   If District 4 voters don’t elect Joe Vinson to return some normalcy, ethics, and correct process to the dais, and Hofberger instead makes it across the finish line in November, Escambia citizens can expect that our library system will be under assault for at least the next four years of her tenure.

   In that horrible scenario, the County may land itself in a suit with the City over the MOU–which is the *actual* rule of law governing the relationship, and not the County’s resolution malarkey that Touart slipped by everyone who didn’t know better as if it was an ordinance. Hell, Wes may just get going on demolishing the Library Board of Governance in advance of the general election, if Hofberger is stupid enough to think her backwoods, anti-education underbelly is something to show off to red-meat voters to try to motivate them to the polls.

   So here’s hoping a bunch of qualified, non-political candidates respond to your call, Rick. Wes is clearly making the choices that he is making because he feels protected by three votes on the BCC and doesn’t fear what the other two will say about it. And there is a possibility that won’t change much, for the rest of his tenure.

   But since the people in the County and the School system driving this debacle are counting on the press and citizens falling over–after directing a white truck with “Escambia County/ War of Attrition Dept” emblazoned on the door to run right over due process, and then sit idling and emitting toxic exhaust for months on end–at the very least the ones orchestrating this bureaucratic Bithlo bus race should be *seriously* challenged through the very process they are itching to demolish.

   It would therefore be so heartening to see a number of qualified candidates at the dais the next meeting. Short of some shift in this prolonged stunt from the ones who orchestrated it, however, if the voters don’t elect Joe Vinson to help send the carnival packing, library supporters will only be left with the hope that City Council has their own attorney on board by the time that rubber really meets the road. Because DC Reeves certainly can’t be trusted to take this important local legacy (or any other, for that matter) seriously, given his recent sell-out to go under the protection of Data Center Donalds. So very much depends, then, on what the D4 constitutes do–the future of Escambia County, and whether the clown cars are sent away or are here to stay, is pretty much in their hands come November.