St. Helens is a small town, and in a small town word of mouth spreads like wildfire.
Evidently the word got out, and people are taking about "Library Closure."  The city, evidently, does not have enough money to run its library.  Not only not enough to run the library, but the city also may not have enough money to run its park system.  The library may be closed, park employees may be laid off, restrooms closed, and park maintenance may be reduced to an occasional trash pickup and hiring someone to cut the grass when it becomes a fire hazard.

  Our cities problems started last year.  They seemingly started with an $800,000 accounting error.  From that point on, things seemed to have started to accelerate.  If I am to believe some, the acceleration was to the point of free fall.   Everyone involved with city money seemed to know that things were not quite right.   The city knew that their sewer treatment plant did not meet state standards, and it was no secret that their water system needed upgrading and could not pass muster.  Even with this knowledge city managers still continued to mismanage.  Special people still got special favors.  A few people still continued to actually profit from city mismanagement; particularly when the city purchased new land from officials and friends for a soon to be broke Parks Department.

Our library underwent an expensive automation project.  City officials did not seem to want it managed by a competent hard working person with only modest credentials.  They were insistent on hiring someone that cost considerably more.  They hired someone with a Master of Library Science, and they fired the very competent, but lower priced Liberian.  In the process of this firing they may have, in turn, earned for our city's taxpayers a potential wrongful termination lawsuit.

Families and friends seem to be talking, and the word seems to be spreading.  There is a good chance that the Library will be closed in June.   It was alleged that the head librarian suggested that all the employees start looking for other jobs.  It was also alleged that she said that she would be looking for a job as well.

If the library closes, the building will go back to the Columbia Foundation.   The Foundation does not have the funds to run a library.    That means that St. Helens will have taken a giant leap backwards.   

Our chamber wants people to move to St. Helens.  Our failed hospital isn't exactly a positive draw,  but it will be lots harder if we don't have parks, or a library.  What can we offer, other than a city both bankrupt and corrupt?  Not a nice picture, not nice at all.

Sadly these money problems are not something that has just occurred, but something that our city money managers have seemingly known about for quite some time. 

If City officials have had prior knowledge of these problems, why haven't they instituted a spending freeze?  Why were cuts not made sooner?  If the city is short on money, why is the library still throwing books away.   Why so many empty shelves?   The library is looking like it did in 1996.  It took 5 years to build our library up, and now it seems as if it is being destroyed again.

Cuts should have been made. Surpluses should not have been squandered.  Resources should have been retained, not disposed of. 

How about other departments?  Will there be cuts made with public works, and Police?  How about City Hall?  Will there be cuts made there? 

Lastly, if this is something that has been known about for some time (and I have been told that it is no surprise), then why wasn't the public notified a long time ago about the City's poor shape? 

Surely the elections didn't have any bearing this?  Surly no one wanted to keep these problems quiet only because of some silly election.  Surly no one would want to do that to St. Helens citizens would they?… Or would they?