A quote in the Jan. 5 article announcing Frank Ferry’s candidacy for Los Angeles City Council contains an untrue statement: “A lot of the challenges I addressed while on the Santa Clarita City Council, between building new parks, protecting open space, establishing the public library system, helping on transportation issues, are the same issues here in this part of San Fernando Valley,”
If The Signal quoted Ferry correctly, shame on Ferry for grossly exaggerating his contributions regarding libraries while serving on Santa Clarita City Council. If it is a misquote, shame on The Signal. In any case, shame on The Signal for not challenging Ferry’s grandiosity.
The L.A. County Library website states that the Newhall Mobilibrary was founded in 1958. The Santa Clarita Valley had a long-time, well-functioning county library system until the City Council, with Ferry on board, voted to privatize (the management of) the city libraries. In 2011, in spite of strong opposition from the residents, Ferry and his fellow council members turned the city’s L.A. County-operated libraries over to a private corporation, Library Systems and Services (LSSI). The privatization of Santa Clarita’s library was a failure. The Signal reported in January 2018 that because LSSI’s poor performance and anticipated savings of $400,000 in the first year, the council voted unanimously to return the library to city control.
Frank Ferry did not establish a public library system in the city of Santa Clarita. Frank Ferry did have a hand in Santa Clarita’s failed private library. Frank Ferry should not be allowed to take any credit for the city-run, truly public library system that we now have in the city of Santa Clarita.
Patti Sulpizio
Santa Clarita
