Wheaton council's highhanded tactics

The Wheaton City Council is sounding like Chicago and the Cook County Board in trying to force the library to reverse its Friday closing decision.

The library was very open in budget discussions with the city council about proposed budget cuts. Friday closing was one of those options. There are only so many areas where cuts can be made. The staff already has a 10 percent cut in pay and 26 furlough days. (I wonder what the pay cuts and furlough days are for the rest of the City of Wheaton employees.)

Reading materials and other library offerings still need to be purchased as they are constantly being written and produced. And, with a larger building there are more maintenance expenses. Library board members must have considered all these areas with their decision to close on Fridays.

I find it very highhanded of the Wheaton City Council to now object to how the library board is trying to make the current budget work and even more, I see it as very Chicago-style politics to suggest that the city council would choose only those new library board members who support the council's position on Friday closings. Wheaton has a wonderful library, and it is time that the city council remembered that and tried to help instead of create problems for the library.

Karen McCulloch

Wheaton