Monday Evening 'Mash-up': Milwaukee's Equalized Value Drops 5.1% but Mayor Barrett Finds a Way to Propose a 1.5% Boost in Library Funding

Worth repeating.


Barrett said, "I remain convinced that education, and access to education, and access to books, is one of the best things we can do to combat [poverty]. We're trying to foster a positive learning environment."

As Tony Driessen, Wisconsin Library Association's lobbyist has repeatedly told us -- and I'm broadly paraphrasing here -- it's not a matter of there being no money, it's how our elected officials set their priorities.  Obviously, Mayor Barrett believes that the Milwaukee Public Library is an important partner in an effort to 'foster a positive learning environment'.

Or, as we have learned from Patricia Cavill, people pay attention to the things they love and value.  In the political world, this means that our federal, state, county, and local officials support issues for which they have a strong interest. The challenge for the library community is to find the points of alignment with our agenda and that of our officials.

I was very pleased to learn today that Milwaukee is up to the challenge.