2024-11-07 23:30:06 -0500
To: County Executive Brenton Davis, and County Council members
Keep Our Library Public
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Let the County Executive Brenton Davis, the County Council members know that leasing part of the Blasco Library to Gannon -- a private, religious university -- is illegal, unethical, and a violation of their duties to taxpayers and the public trust.
Keep Our Library Public (KOLP) has filed a legal complaint in the Erie County Court of Common Pleas to prevent 3200 square feet of Blasco Erie County Public Library in Erie County, PA from being leased to a tax-exempt, private, religious university.
Keep Our Library Public (KOLP) has filed a legal complaint in the Erie County Court of Common Pleas to prevent 3200 square feet of Blasco Erie County Public Library in Erie County, PA from being leased to a tax-exempt, private, religious university.
Sign here to get updates about our lawsuit to void this lease.
Please DONATE to support our lawsuit: https://www.fundlibraries.org/erie
Donations are tax deductible.
Please DONATE to support our lawsuit: https://www.fundlibraries.org/erie
Donations are tax deductible.
Why is this important?
Erie County Executive Brenton Davis and some members of the County Council have wrongly entered into a lease agreement with Gannon University, a private, religious, tax-exempt institution without input or approval from taxpayers. The lease grants Gannon the takeover of 3200 square feet as well as access to substantial portions of the only public library located within the City of Erie—the Raymond M. Blasco Memorial Library.
Members and supporters of “Keep our Library Public” (KOLP) span all ages, genders, incomes, backgrounds, and political affiliations. We live and pay taxes in municipalities throughout Erie County. We believe our elected officials should carry out their official duties openly, responsibly, and with reasonable input from their constituents—the residents and taxpayers of Erie County.
But over and over again, our elected officials, the Bishop of the Erie Diocese, and the Gannon University administration, have ignored the voices of library users and hardworking taxpayers. The past County Council Chairman denied our right to speak at a December 2023 public meeting, and even had people removed from that meeting.
Sign and share this petition to tell our elected leaders to listen to taxpayers, keep our public library public, and cancel the lease immediately.