Library Warrant Article safe to Fly?
The voters of Gilford should know the whole story of how the Budget Committee came to reverse its decision on the Library warrant article. Committee member Dale Dormody described an analogy of how important the committee’s recommendation is to the voting public. He tells the story of an airplane mechanic applying a big sticker on the door of the plane that reads “UNSAFE To FLY”. Dale then asks “would you get on the plane?” This excellent comparison suggests that the committee has combed over the budget information thoroughly enough to know whether or not we should be spending the specified money. Let’s continue the analogy to describe what happens in Gilford when the "mechanics" deem the plane unsafe to fly. After the mechanic has applied his warning sticker he then gets lectured and brow beat by the group that is causing the unsafe flying condition. They manage to corner the mechanic during a vulnerable moment when he doesn’t have all his faculties. The mechanic is forced to remove the warning sticker from the plane even though the plane is still UNSAFE To FLY!
This was the case with the library warrant article giving the library $110,000 of proceeds from the sale of a parcel of the town’s land. The majority of the Budget Committee twice REJECTED giving the library more money. The first time, the Budget Committee simply agreed with the Selectman’s $40,000 cut for items they believed to be part of building a “free” library. The second time the Budget Committee REJECTED the recommendation of giving $110,000 to the library from the sale of town land. In both cases they felt that the Friends of the Gilford Library promised the voters a “FREE” library and it could have been built using the original land and design drawings that were already paid for.
A third bite at the apple for the Gilford library was allowed because the Chairman didn’t adhere to previously established rules requiring that only a “prevailing” member can reopen a previously voted item. The timing of reopening the library warrant article was also such that a critical vote was absent from the discussion. Had all members been present I’m confident the outcome would have been the same as the first vote because nothing new was added to the discussion.
The “UNSAFE TO FLY” sticker has been removed but the plane is still broken!
Terry Stewart
