THE RESCUERS

摘要

It has been a rough, roller coaster year at the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP). Philadelphia City Councilmen Michael Nutter and Frank DiCicco used confrontation and classic urban political strategies to help rescue library branches and their librarians, restoring relatively normal operations to the system.The result: 2005 will be much better for the library and librarians than was expected. Nutter and DiCicco had differing views, approaches, and styles, but together they reversed the cuts for 2005 and most likely the future outlook for the FLP. The FLP budget was nearly $2 million short when it was delivered to Elliot L. Shelkrot, FLP's president and director. Appointed by and serving at the pleasure of a board, Shelkrot was caught in the crossfire of political rivals, with a nasty budget cut. All his options were onerous. He could risk his job and career by openly opposing the action. He could even threaten to resign, as Nutter believed he should and even urged him several times to do. If that didn't cost Shelkrot his job, it would incur the permanent wrath of both his board and Mayor John F. Street.