In our opinion: Voters won’t know what they have until it’s gone

Published 4:29 pm Friday, November 5, 2010

As the bunting and yard signs are cleaned up, Kitsap residents will try to make sense of this week’s election results.

But one thing is clear:

As of Wednesday, with the measure trailing by 15 percent, voters expect the Kitsap Regional Library to live within its means.

And, unfortunately, there is no better PR for more money than that.

Library officials say they have a plan for next year, but beyond that, not so much, which really means they have no plan. Already they are talking about another Hail Mary levy proposal.

Before officials do that, and waste more time and resources in a pursuit they haven’t achieved since the Carter Administration, here’s an idea: shutter branches, lay off employees — starting at the top — and then close early, open late and come up with a long range, sustainable plan.

When the people of Kitsap realize they can’t thrive without easy access to libraries, that the quality of life suffers, that our rundown, often-closed libraries are a disgrace, voters will come around.

If they don’t, fair enough. Welcome to post-literate America.

But our bet is that residents will only realize the value of libraries when they miss them, sad as it may be.