Mayor Pressed On Mitchell Library

Mayor Justin Elicker told concerned Westville neighbors that he might not have to close their beloved library after all.

Elicker made that remark Wednesday night during a virtual visit with 30 neighbors at the monthly meeting to the West Hills/Westville Community Management Team.

Neighbors have been speaking out about a proposed city budget Elicker submitted for the upcoming fiscal year that included closing the Mitchell Branch library on Harrison Street. However, it was only one of two budgets he proposed, a worst-case scenario that may have been served political rather than actual budgetary purposes.

“I just finished reading a book that did more for my soul than anything,” neighbor Dawn Bliesner told Elicker at Wednesday night’s meeting, ​“and I got that book from the library. There has to be something said for human spirit.” She expressed her concern about the branch’s possible closing.

Elicker responded that he’s hopeful he won’t have to resort to the worst-case version of his budget, and therefore the library can remain open. State lawmakers are working on a deal to send tens of millions of new dollars in municipal aid to the city under a retooled Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program. And Yale and Yale New Haven Hospital are negotiating to significantly increase annual voluntary contributions to the city.

“It’s too early to celebrate,” Elicker replied, but he’s optimistic that Mitchell Library as well as two other facilities targeted for closure under the worst-case budget — the East Shore Senior Center and Whitney Avenue firehouse — can be spared.

The mayor, who faces an expected primary challenge this year, presented a campaign-style speech highlighting his administration’s achievements. Then he reprised his two-budget approach, the more dire of which envisions deep cuts but which few if anyone believes will now materialize.

At the first aldermanic Finance Committee review of the budget last month, the potential Mitchell Branch closing was already protested by its ardent users and supporters.

Many of those folks were also in attendance at the CMT and had a chance to air their views ​“in person” with the mayor.

Westville Village Renaissance Associate (WVRA) Chair Lizzy Donius said, ​“I get very emotional about the library. I’m [already] on record at the Board of Alders. I’ve thought about it a lot, and I just don’t understand, and I’d just like you to make the economic argument” justifying the Mitchell closing.

In a crisis budget, the mayor replied, ​“we looked at cutting in every department” in order to minimize a significant tax increase. ​“This was about everyone sacrificing everywhere.”

In his answers to other library-lovers who spoke, Elicker repeated the hopeful picture of PILOT ​“crossing the finish line” in Hartford and Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital both making larger contributions.

“The PILOT funding,” in particular, he added, ​“could be a major change for our city” in addition to helping to save the library. He termed the estimated $49 million that might come to New Haven, with a successful outcome, ​“a game changer.”

When other questioners insisted that the mayor cut what they termed extravagant administrative salaries, the mayor let escape notes of frustration.

“I’ve been in your shoes … in the shoes of CMT members for many years ​‚and I’ve said some of these same things,” he said.

“But we have contracts. There’s a small handful of people, the directors of the departments, health director, budget, police and fire [not covered by contracts] … I’ve experienced how hard these people work. Seven days a week, around the clock. They’re always available.

“They are responding to my text messages in the middle of the night. I’m not going to propose [to cut] their salaries that are low compared to other cities. And even if we did that we save not a lot of money at all. We worked hard to find cuts … There’s not a lot of magical money out there. God knows I’m trying to find it. There’s a lot of wishful thinking in the narrative, trust me. If this were easy to solve, I would have done that.”

At the beginning of the meeting, Mitchell’s new branch manager, Mariann Huggins, reminded attendees that the library is now in the second week of being physically open. ​“If you’re hesitant, walk on over with your mask on. We’re open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.”

At the end of the meeting, CMT Chair Joshua Van Hoesen led the group in a formal and overwhelming vote of support for the text of a formal letter of support from the CMT to keep the ​“beloved” branch open.