On Thursday evening, August 6, 2009, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick held a town meeting in the amphitheater behind the Chicopee Public Library. It was a beautiful evening and after a few opening comments, the Governor turned the meeting over to questions from those present.
From a library and Regional point of view, the most important question was from a library user from Sunderland. She is concerned that Sunderland rejected an override that included funding for the library and that the library might not be able to maintain its certification. She wanted the Governor to know that being able to request materials from other libraries and have them delivered to Sunderland and being able to return materials anywhere were services that were very important to her. She was very concerned that her library and The Jones Library might lose their certification and thereby their access to materials from all over the state and her library’s membership in the Western MA Regional Library System. The Governor was quite impressed that she could get materials from any library and return them to any library.
The mayor of Chicopee offered that waivers may be available and referred to his education on the matter by Chicopee Director Nancy Contois. The Governor asked Nancy a couple of questions about the state aid grant. Assistant Regional Administrator spoke with Elizabeth Cardona, Director of the Governor's Western MA Office, and will be in touch with the staff of the Sunderland Library and the Sunderland patron.
Governor Patrick is holding Town Meetings across the Commonwealth. This is a good opportunity to see state government up close and get a chance to air your concerns with the Governor directly. Give it a try.
~Jan Resnick, Assistant Regional Administrator
