Palin versus the Museum: Cut museum budget at time when town had 4 Million in reserves

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/usa/2008/09/palin_versus_the_museum.html

Palin versus the Museum
Mayor Palin cut a local museum's budget, forcing layoffs
September 2, 2008 8:05 PM
Republican vice-presidential pick Sarah Palin doesn't seem to think much of the government's role in promoting culture.

In light of Time's revelation today that she threatened to fire a Wasilla, Alaska librarian who refused to help her ban books, I was keenly interested to learn that she sought to downsize the three-member staff of the Wasilla city museum in 1997 even as the city was flush with cash.

According to a Anchorage Daily News report from August 1997, Palin, then mayor of the town of about 5,000, engineered a $32,000 cut in the museum's budget, forcing the institution to choose which of three over-65 staffers to lay off. Instead, all three quit in protest.

The city at the time held $4m in budget reserves, the paper reported.

[lynnertic]

1. There was no threat to fire the librarian, it happened, and

then she had to reinstate the lady because of public outcry.

"The librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, pledged to “resist all efforts at censorship,” Ms. Kilkenny recalled. Ms. Palin fired Ms. Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support. Ms. Emmons, who left her job and Wasilla a couple of years later, declined to comment for this article."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1220415162-uGBff4Kg03SG7f71ZX7ffQ&pagewanted=all

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. Thanks.

[lynnertic]

3. Thank YOU.

For the museum info. It's hard to keep track of this stuff
:crazy:

[amandabeech]

4. Palin wanted to use the money for a hockey rink.

Her son played hockey, after all, before he went into the service.

The rink doesn't pay for itself, I read. The state subsidy is down to $125,000 from $600,000. I wonder how much the town pays now.