Supporters endorse Mack’s learning centers
TRENTON — Holding poster signs that said, “Support our mayor centers,” multiple city residents voiced strong support for Mayor Tony Mack’s learning centers at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Raymond Davis, 19, said reading at the learning centers made him “eager to learn more things about life” and said “It helped me to become a better person. … It helped me to actually graduate.”
Supporters said the learning centers promote tutoring and help keep city youths off the streets and away from violent crime. “It’s not about politics, it’s about children,” said resident Robert Brooks. “I say reconsider closing the learning centers.”
West Ward Councilman Zachary Chester said it wasn’t on the council’s agenda to decide whether to keep the learning centers open. He said the mayor in his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal is requesting $193,000 for the learning centers. “He may not be paying volunteers, but he has to pay somebody,” Chester said.
Mack and mayoral aide Anthony Roberts earlier this year re-opened the city’s four shuttered neighborhood library branches as learning centers. Chester said City Council was never included in the learning center planning, and former state librarian Norma Blake, before retiring from her post, said Mack’s learning centers were being operated in violation of state law.
“As long as the mayor and Mr. Roberts is going to operate that way, I’m not going to support that,” Chester said.
The city’s four neighborhood branch libraries closed in August 2010 amid a budget crisis under Mack’s watch. The city’s free public library system concentrated its resources in operating only the main library on Academy Street. City activist Michael Walker at Tuesday’s council meeting said Mack created his own library system to co-exist with the Trenton Free Public Library system.
“I thought we were broke. I thought we didn’t have any money. It’s crazy,” Walker said. “I don’t understand what he has against the Trenton Free Public Library system. … Why do taxpayers have to pay for two library systems? It’s not fair to the taxpayers.”
Elected
in
2010, Mack
is
free on $150,000 unsecured bond on federal charges he conspired to extort $119,000 from a Hudson County developer. On Monday, Mack’s office issued a press release that highlighted how the administration will ask City Council to support the learning centers.
“I have been advised by the business administrator (Sam Hutchinson) that the press release was sent out in error and that a factual presentation will be given this evening,” Council President Phyllis Holly-Ward said at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting.
Seeing several residents holding prolearning center posters, Holly-Ward said, “We can appreciate your support for the learning centers,” but added that “This is not the time or the place for you to be holding signs.”
The learning center supporters left the council meeting before the civic comments of the council members. “I’m sorry they did not stay to at least hear what we have to say,” Chester said.
Hutchinson at 8 p.m. Tuesday was presenting the Mack administration’s $186.4 million proposed budget to City Council. According to the presentation, the tax impact of the proposed budget calls for a levy and tax rate increase. The proposed tax rate increase is 19 cents, which would represent a 5 percent higher tax rate from last year’s budget.