Hartford Library Chief To Retire

A wonderful lady. The people of Hartford should have a lot of gratitude for her service. It will be a challenge for the Board and the City to find the right person to build on her legacy.

Frank Lord wrote:

It will be a challenge for the Board and the City to find the right person to build on her legacy.

nah- mayor "the professor" perez will just appoint his arrogant a$$ to the board and all will be well in his wonderful city o fartford.

Oh the horror of the pension and lifetime health benefits. And why is Hartford a mess and nearly broke?

I commend Ms. Blalock on knowing when enough is enough. Hopefully, someone will replace her that will make the library a safe haven for children.

Goodbye liberal! I hope they replace her with someone who will restore order and common sense to the library.

I just hope she can live on her fixed pension and health benefits. Hopefully she can get a part time job consulting for the city to supplement her 6 figure pension. I don't know how our poor seniors who dedicated their lives to public service can do it. It's all about respect.

Thank you, Louise, for a major improvement to the City of Hartford. Your passion and dedication to the renovation of the Main Library has made a better life for all of us.

Its about time. She had no clue what was going on - had her head in the sand. I cant believe that Geraldine Sullivan actually thought that Blalock had vision; I guess Sullivan is severly myopic and doesnt even know it.

Sulliavn should retire next. HPL is a joke - along with the director and Sullivan

Suzanne Hopgood wrote:

Thank you, Louise, for a major improvement to the City of Hartford. Your passion and dedication to the renovation of the Main Library has made a better life for all of us.

Suzanne - you are myopic too. Go back to NY.

Annoying Liberals wrote:

Goodbye liberal! I hope they replace her with someone who will restore order and common sense to the library.

You are absolutely correct!!!!

Grateful Parent wrote:

I commend Ms. Blalock on knowing when enough is enough. Hopefully, someone will replace her that will make the library a safe haven for children.

And is not an annoying liberal.

Frank Lord wrote:

A wonderful lady. The people of Hartford should have a lot of gratitude for her service. It will be a challenge for the Board and the City to find the right person to build on her legacy.

Frank -

You are wacked out. Are you her relative? She was a useless liberal librarian.

timmy wrote:

Its about time. She had no clue what was going on - had her head in the sand. I cant believe that Geraldine Sullivan actually thought that Blalock had vision; I guess Sullivan is severly myopic and doesnt even know it.
Sulliavn should retire next. HPL is a joke - along with the director and Sullivan

I think the whole board should move on so we can get some people in there who are in touch with reality. Maybe a few commoners like me.

It;s about time Blaylock moved on. She's overstayed her welcome for over 10 years. Finally the Hartford library will have the opportunity to hire someone with vision and common sense. Too bad the board doesn't take the hint and leave also. Perez, good job cleaning house....just appoint someone who knows what they're doing...not what;s Polically correct.

hartfordite wrote:

It;s about time Blaylock moved on. She's overstayed her welcome for over 10 years. Finally the Hartford library will have the opportunity to hire someone with vision and common sense. Too bad the board doesn't take the hint and leave also. Perez, good job cleaning house....just appoint someone who knows what they're
doing...not what;s Polically correct.

funny you think he's capable of doing that.

I vote for "richee."

Can everyone say, "forced out!" Love how the spin-meisters make it look like someone is resigning on their own. AND, she gets her full pension and bennies too boot.

You know, you really messed up during the last few years BUT out of the goodness of our hearts we hereby bestow upon you, FULL BENEFITS FOR LIFE.

How about them apples. If she was in the private sector, out on her ear, the public sector overlooks mistakes because no one wants to admit they hired an incompetent boozo.

Liberalism, ain't it great. Dosen't it just make you feel warm and cuddly.

Frank Lord wrote:

A wonderful lady. The people of Hartford should have a lot of gratitude for her service. It will be a challenge for the Board and the City to find the right person to build on her legacy.

Yes, I suppose we should be happy that she helped the $42 million dollar "library" that is there now. I put the word library in quotes because it is more of a homeless shelter and a daycare - and the librarians are too afraid of the locals to say anything. Also,$42 million?! Have you noticed how there has been red caution tape on the steps for MONTHS. Also, go to the reference section Oh wait, what reference section? Half the books are in the wrong place or are straight up stolen ("missing" in the search catalog).

That's not even mentioning the amount of money the library lost to the lack of a security system in the CD and DVD area. This was all on Blalock's watch - a watch that cost the tax payers over $100,000/year just in her salary alone.

So, all of you that think her tenure as chief librarian helped the city of Hartford, please tell me why.

Please people -- let's be civil. I don't agree with "hartfordite's" comments. I had no idea of Louise's age and have always felt she needed to finish her legacy which will forever be remembered in Hartford: the rebuilding of our beautiful downtown library and our wonderful branches. Louise is a department head that you can agree to disagree with, and move on to the next topic. I've had the pleasure of disagreeing with Louise on any number of occasions -- she's great to "do battle with" and usually returns with a better solution anytime she has been challenged publicly. On the other hand, I respect the different views of Louise held by employees. Absent illness, I think her departure date should be revisited, until the very last branch is completed. Rather, the library's charter or articles of incorporation and the Board need a restructuring.

Finally. Now if only they can hire someone who will use common sense and fix all the problems that were pointed out in the previous Courant article. I had zero confidence that Blalock would or could do that based on her prior actions, and her attitude towards any criticism. Almost any other choice is bound to be an improvement. It might help even more if the Board "retired" as well and the library had a clean slate to start with.

This interference in the internal affairs of a library is working. Though finding someone who can and will put up with Hartford and turn around the library system may take some significant search expenditures.
Perhaps some hockey mom librarian will be found from Alaska to run the library in Hartford.