Today is Giving Tuesday! Thank you for all your continued support! On this Giving Tuesday, please help us to continue the fight.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
~Winston Churchill
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are so thankful to Dr. Blasco for giving our community such a beautiful library to all its citizens, but we are equally thankful to all of you that are supporting KOLP’s fight to keep that beautiful library entirely public. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
“Although Thanksgiving comes but once a year, every day should be a day of thanks.”
~Monique Hammond
Cradle of Democracy
If you remember the poll last week, we asked in what Athens “Save Blasco!” was next showing. As of this writing, no one voted for Ohio or Alabama. Pennsylvania and Georgia each had 28.57% of the vote, while 42.86% voted for another Athens. If you were among those who voted “Other,” you would be correct. “Save Blasco!” is showing in the OG Athens, Athens, Greece at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival. It seems especially appropriate that the documentary about our fight is showing in the cradle of democracy.
Just a reminder that this was a labor of love by 2nd State Films, and no donations were used to fund this award-winning documentary. Thank you 2nd State Films for getting our story out there!
Just because our story is on an international stage, doesn’t mean that we still don’t need help continuing this fight. Click the button below to support to our fight!
“There is not such a a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth, receives the slightest consideration.”
~Andrew Carnegie
99 Properties
Mayor Schember recently released his proposed 2026 budget for the City of Erie. In the budget workbook on page 14, is included a list of tax-exempt properties. This information was included in 2024’s workbook, but not 2025’s. In that 2 years, Gannon became the number one tax-exempt property holder (up from number 3) in the City of Erie, up from 51 properties in 2024 to 99 properties. These properties have an assessed value of $153, 792,719. The tax (if paid) that would be paid on these properties would be $2,017,760. If Gannon had a PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) program (which they do not), they would be paying $1,008,880.
Tell me again, why do they need 3280 square foot of space in our library at $7 per square foot for 25 years with an option of up to 45 years with no increase?
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that every has.”
~Margaret Mead
Where in the World is “Save Blasco” Showing?
Another Honor for “Save Blasco!”
Please take the poll below.
“So, we went from being an Athens band to being a Georgia band to being a Southern band to being an American band from the East Coast to being an American band and now we’re kind of an international phenomenon.”
~Michael Stipe
Another Honor for “Save Blasco!”
Congratulations for 2nd State Films for yet another honor for being named finalist for the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival 2025. If you haven’t watched “Save Blasco!”, it’s available for viewing at the link.
Just a reminder that this was a labor of love by 2nd State Films, and no donations were used to fund this award-winning documentary. Thank you 2nd State Films for getting our story out there!
“Witnessing is the essence of being a documentary filmmaker. Capturing moments in time; never knowing how history will judge them.”
~Pamela Yates
A Victory for the Taxpayers, part 1
Brenton Davis’ resounding defeat last night was the first victory for the taxpayers. Congratulations to Erie County Executive-Elect Christina Vogel! Let’s make taking back the library the second victory for the taxpayers.
Some people have expressed worry about donating to our cause because of possible repercussions. Although there have always been 2 anonymous giving options with the online links, keep in mind that Davis will be out of office in 2 months. There has never been a better time to give.
“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision.”
~Abraham Lincoln
When Someone Shows You Who They Are…
This post was scheduled to send at 7am on Tuesday, November 4th when the polls opened. Have you voted yet? If not, you have until 8pm tonight. As long as you are in line to vote by 8 p.m., you are entitled to cast a ballot.
Remember when the county executive posted this after he got the initial approval for the lease and after he proposed cuts to the library staff? He didn’t show much empathy when county employees were slated to lose their jobs on his budget recommendation. Do you think the irony of this election day is lost on him?
Voter turnout will determine the results of this election. One-third of people eligible to vote did not vote in the 2024 election. That is even more embarrassing than the county executive’s job performance! Keep Our Library Public going forward–protect it from Brenton Davis! Vote him out, along with Council Members Bayle and Winarski.
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
~Maya Angelou
Something is Missing Here…
A few points of clarification on this recent ad on the county executive’s re-election Facebook page–you know, the one where people are allowed to comment (unlike the official county Facebook page).
- $2.5 million in ARPA funds were given to Project Resolve. It seems like he’s taking credit for the entire project, which since this is at Penn State Behrend, it’s save to say they might have a bit more to do with it than the county executive.
- Davis ran for office on his opposition to EC3.
- Davis vetoed the grant for childcare. It’s only because Erie County Council overrode the veto (with Bayle and Schauerman voting against the override) that there is funding.
- Davis didn’t follow regulations and protocol for the use of inmate labor.
- Davis drives a county-owned vehicle that was purchased without putting out the contract for competitive bid.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it seems that there is something missing in this ad. Funny how he isn’t taking credit for Project NepTWNE in this ad on his Facebook page, although he does on his re-election website, spelling it incorrectly. Maybe he’s finally realizing that giving away part of the library for $7/sq ft for 25-45 years wasn’t the flex he thought.
Help us to fight the lease by using the button below. And don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, November 4th!
“We learned about honesty and integrity – that the truth matters… that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules… and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square.”
~Michelle Obama
Credibility Gap
Every day it seems that the county executive is announcing some form of gap funding based on ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds that may or may not have been approved, depending on the situation. One of the more recent announcements was for the Corry brownfield remediation of $338,698. For a quick comparison, that’s 22.58% of the amount given to Gannon for Project NePWTNE. Apparently, Corry is not as high on the county executive’s priority list as a private university.
The announcements on the official Erie County Facebook page have been coming fast and furious lately, “coincidently” timed with his election campaigning, and where taxpayers cannot comment, because he has turned the commenting feature off. Rather that compare each and every announcement (with photo op) to the $1.5 million given to Gannon, we can direct you to some past KOLP posts regarding the priorities of the county executive:
A Tale of Two Cities – Keep Our Library Public!
Priorities, Part 2 – Keep Our Library Public!
Priorities – Keep Our Library Public!
“Action expresses priorities.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
Keep Our Library Public! 