[ OUR OPINION ]
State librarian unfairly
targeted in crisisSTATE senators, frustrated by the effect of budget cuts on their home turf, are unfairly attacking state librarian Virginia Lowell, calling for the resignation of a good administrator who is simply attempting to deal with budget cuts equitably.
THE ISSUE Senators and Governor Lingle have sharply criticized Virginia Lowell's response to spending cuts.
At the same time, Governor Lingle's public derision of Lowell was -- to use Lingle's own words -- "less than professional." Incivility and disrespect should have no place on the governor's agenda and do nothing to bridge differences. Similarly, Lowell's insistent defense of her decisions should not preclude her from flexibility.
In other words, all parties should cool off.
The dust-up stems in part from reductions in the library system's budget. To deal with the cuts, Lowell has asked the state's 50 branches to operate on a 40-hour a week schedule. Contrary to some reports, Lowell has not dismissed the public's wishes on when libraries will be open or closed. In a meeting with the Star-Bulletin last week, she said hours would be determined by when most people use the facility. However, because some libraries, such as the Waimanalo branch, also serve a public school, student needs on school days would have to be considered.
Windward Oahu senators, Bob Hogue and Fred Hemmings, unhappy that a Saturday reading program at the Waimanalo facility will be affected by curtailed hours, have harshly criticized Lowell with Hogue demanding her resignation. Hemmings contends that because the program is funded by a corporate grant it should not cut into the library's budget, but he must also take into account other operating expenses, such as utilities and staffing, as well as the needs of students during the school week. Hemmings and Hogue, as legislators, should be looking for solutions rather than slamming Lowell.
Another part of the friction goes back several years with this week's eruption coming during Senate debate on a $1 million emergency appropriation to open the Kapolei Library, a boondoggle project foisted on Lowell by lawmakers themselves. The $6.9 million building sits empty and unstaffed after the Legislature twice rebuffed her budget requests for books and operations.
Lowell had been wary of lawmakers' incremental funding of the project since it was proposed in 1999, saying it made no sense to throw up the building without the money to pay for its use. Nonetheless, vote-conscious legislators, needing something tangible to show off to the electorate, pushed it through. Now that the structure is ready, Lowell has had to seek the "emergency" funding that lawmakers knew all along would be necessary to open the facility as a library instead of white elephant.
Maui Sens. J. Kalani English and Shane Tsutsui should take heed of the Kapolei situation. They are pushing for expansion of the Makawao library, but Lowell again is insisting that the Legislature approve money for the staff and materials that will be needed for a larger facility.
Meanwhile, the governor should acknowledge that her goal to reduce spending to balance the state budget -- albeit prudent will have consequences, especially since previous revenue shortages have already affected library operations. Lingle has stood firm on her pledge that there will be no layoffs of state workers. She should then recognize that Lowell, who also does not want layoffs, has little flexibility with her budget when 87 percent of it goes to staffing.
Lowell's position is that cuts should be evenly distributed, that no one facility be favored over another. Lawmakers focused only on their districts should adjust their outlooks and consider the needs of the whole state instead.
The state's revenue problems have placed heavy pressures on state decision-makers. No one wants to pare away at public services, but fiscal realities must be dealt with. The governor, Lowell and legislators should be collaborating. Name-calling and harsh words will accomplish little.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, Assistant Editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
Lucy Young-Oda, Assistant Editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.comMary Poole, Editorial Page Editor, 529-4748; mpoole@starbulletin.com
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