“On April 11, The Stranger broke the news that SPL would cut nearly 1,500 service hours over eight weeks because they did not have the staffing necessary to keep libraries open.”

That reason was false back then, too, as the linked story at the Stranger shows:

“As a non-executive department with its own hiring authority, SPL technically does not have to abide by the Mayor’s hiring freeze, but Chief Librarian Tom Fay instituted a freeze to keep in step with the Mayor, Gentry said.”

That exact same point appears in this post, too:

“Technically, SPL is not under the Mayor’s purview and they don’t have to adhere to the freeze, but he signs the budget, so there's a strategy to playing nice with him. #OneSeattle”

And in that last jab is the true reason for the Library closures: to blame the Mayor for something which is not his fault. Of course the Stranger runs with it, facts be damned.

My favorite part of this “story”…

mayoral spokesperson Karissa Braxton said, “The ongoing budget process has no impact on the summer hours announced by the Libraries last week.”

Like @1 points out, SPL is choosing to create this drama all on their own - and folks from DSA want to spin it as an attack on Harrell. What a crock - I hope SPL leadership understands this type of politics is likely to have unintended consequences (maybe they should focus on keeping their systems clean of ransomware, leave the grandstanding to folks like morales).

Here's what I don't get about this microdrama - the library may not have to go with what the mayor says, but if they go over their budget, they have to try to get a supplemental from the council, so wouldn't they want to stay within their budget?

@3 SPL receives nearly 40% of its budget from two levies (2012 & 2019) - a promised outcome of the 2019 levy was increased operating hours (something not delivered upon until 2023). See https://www.spl.org/about-us/the-organization/budget-and-operations/library-levy/previous-levy-reports

It’s disingenuous to blame current reduced hours on the mayor as previously stated (they play by their own budget rules). And if the council decides to balance the current deficit on the back of SPL, then I would expect voter blowback when the current levy comes up for renewal in 2026 (I believe this falls into the category of penny wise, pound foolish).

And lastly, a hiring freeze is not a budget clawback - it’s a mechanism to lessen potential staff disruptions when/if the next budget needs to be trimmed. Specific to SPL, given that the 2019 promised increased hours, the chances staff would be targeted is low (I would expect budgets to be tightened in other areas - be that new ebook spending, new digital offerings, etc.).

So SPL leadership, please knock-off the politics - it’s a losing proposition (regardless of what your DSA allies are telling you).

If as the article clearly says "Chief Librarian Tom Fay and Mayor Bruce Harrell struck a deal*, granting SPL limited exemptions from his hiring freeze on all departments except for cops, fire, and the new dual dispatch program. " it's therefore pretty clear that Harrell initially asked SPL to abide by the hiring freeze or else. Selective quoting of the article by @1, @2 and @4 underline their wishes to absolve Harrell from bearing responsibility for austerity at SPL and pin the blame on SPL and wtf? their "DSA allies"? are you on drugs?

@5 clearly lacks ready comprehension

mayoral spokesperson Karissa Braxton said, “The ongoing budget process has no impact on the summer hours announced by the Libraries last week.”

That’s a direct quote for the Mayor’s office - the comment you highlighted is supposition on behalf of Hannah.

@6 From your couch, and without presenting any evidence, you are accusing Hannah Krieg of lying.

Whereas, the April 11 The Stranger article also states that Harrell and SPL eventually agreed on 12 new hiring, which shows that Harrell initially wanted the hiring freeze to apply to SPL: "With the green light from the Mayor's office, SPL will use these next eight weeks to hire 12 more mostly temporary staff members and then reassess the service cuts."
https://www.thestranger.com/news/2024/04/11/79463199/the-seattle-public-library-announces-1500-hours-of-closures-in-the-next-eight-weeks

Are you still saying that Ms Krieg is lying when she says that Harrell green lighted the 12 new hires? If so you better explain yourself because smearing reporters without proof is pretty shitty.

@7: If you’d actually read the very next sentence after the one you’d quoted @5, you’d know: “Technically, SPL is not under the Mayor’s purview and they don’t have to adhere to the freeze, but he signs the budget, so there's a strategy to playing nice with him.”

Let’s try that again: “…SPL is not under the Mayor’s purview and they don’t have to adhere to the freeze…”

And, just in case you were wondering: “…SPL is not under the Mayor’s purview…”

(Because the Stranger’s unnecessary use of the meaningless qualifier, “technically,” seems to have confused you.)

So, SPL does not have to abide by the hiring freeze. Full stop. That they are doing so results from politicking by the head of SPL, not any need (note: not “desire,” but “need”) to do so.

SPL patrons are being short-changed by SPL management, not by anyone else. And “anyone else” includes the Mayor.

"And, just in case you were wondering: …SPL is not under the Mayor’s purview…”

which is a meaningless statement given the mayor controls the library budget. Harrell agreeing to 12 new hires shows that he decides whether SPL hires or not. It's not rocket science.

You are really poor at what you do. Your continual attempts at twisting words, spinning, partial quoting and pretending that war is peace are not only tiresome but really not convincing.

@9: "...given the mayor controls the library budget."

Given that you're wrong, as you could already easily have learned, by reading @4: "SPL receives nearly 40% of its budget from two levies (2012 & 2019) - a promised outcome of the 2019 levy was increased operating hours (something not delivered upon until 2023). See https://www.spl.org/about-us/the-organization/budget-and-operations/library-levy/previous-levy-reports"

(Also, as the same commenter instructed you @6, you really should learn the difference between statements of fact, and statements of supposition. Especially when the latter contradict the former, and doubly so when the latter also advance the writer's agenda.)

@10 Harrell doesn't control 100% of the library budget = hair splitting presented as foundational fact

.... really, really bad at what you do

@11: 40% of the budget comes from levies, the rest comes from the City Council. How, then, does the Mayor’s office “control” the Library’s budget? As already noted, the very article you’re quoting doesn’t support your claim.

@12 the mayor doesn't control the budget, the major signs the budget = more hair splitting presented as a win by Tensor the spinner

@13: “… the mayor doesn't control the budget,”

@9: “… the mayor controls the library budget.”

I’m just going to let the two of you fight it out amongst yourselves. (That should make for an epic contest in hair-pulling, if nothing else…)

I forgot the quote but the rest of the sentence made Tensor the Spinner was talking. Anyhow, go on your spinning details into decisive moments

Next from Spinner: "Mayor decides on hiring freeze but Mayor doesn't control budget"

@15: “Mayor decides on hiring freeze but Mayor doesn't control budget"

Again, from this very headline post:

“…SPL is not under the Mayor’s purview and they don’t have to adhere to the freeze,”

So, according to your ‘logic,’ SPL’s not needing to adhere to the hiring freeze is proof the Mayor controls the SPL via a hiring freeze?