Mrs. Datanerd is angry

As all of my longtime readers know, Mrs. Datanerd is a librarian. And she's using bad words about the Governor of Florida, who just fired the head of the State Library in Tallahassee. Governor Bush lost his fight with the state legislature to shut down the State Library in Tallahassee, and move the collection, at first to Florida State University, except they didn't want it. Anyway, here's an excerpt from an article in the Tallahassee Democrat:

Sears' firing comes two months after the Legislature rejected Gov. Jeb Bush's plans to move the Library's circulating collection to Nova Southeastern University in Broward County. Bush's plans to reconfigure the Library drew vocal protests from librarians, the public and key legislators - culminating in March when nearly 250 protesters ringed the R.A. Gray building that houses the Library.

Imagine 250 protesters, made up of librarians. Seems like that would raise some eyebrows when that many people worked up about a library.

"It certainly would have a chilling effect on other state employees," said Rep. Curtis Richardson, D-Tallahassee. "Even if the perception were there. The close proximity in the time to those events - her being let go and the efforts to keep the library in Tallahassee."

Said Mark Neimeiser, political representative for the American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees, "The whole business of 'at will' employees doesn't mean we should throw out employees with years of experience who've done a good job. This administration has a history of making political choices which will hurt the public service."

Indeed.