Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
📚🔥 What really went down at Fountain Square & the Library Board meeting?
Evanston Public Library workers and supporters rallied downtown, then marched to the board meeting to speak out against a controversial plan: splitting the library away from the City of Evanston and turning it into its own district.
The board says they’re exploring “financial autonomy” to cover a $19M renovation. But workers and community members fear the move could:
– Cut services, hours, and programs
– Drive up costs for the public
– Put union jobs and benefits at risk
– Open the door to privatization
The Evanston Public Library Board did not address the 50 grievances filed against them or the wrongful termination case they lost, leaving these serious issues unmentioned in public discussions.
Here are the facts:
✅ Mayor Daniel Biss has said splitting the library would be “bad for patrons, bad for programming, and bad for workers.”
❌ But he did not show up at the rally.
❌ And while he’s opposed to separation, he hasn’t made a clear public statement of support for the union itself.
That gap is what has people talking. Workers say they’ve only heard words, not seen actions. Many in Evanston recognize a familiar Biss pattern: polished statements in public, uncertainty about what’s happening behind the scenes.
Two of his opponents, State Representative Hoan Huynh and State Senator Laura Fine, showed up to rally in support of the union workers, as did Councilmember Clare Kelly, who came to publicly stand with the union.
⚠️ Note: The Evanston Public Library did not provide a microphone for public comment, so audio from the meeting isn’t perfect.
So the real question becomes: as the Mayor seeks higher office, is he truly standing with workers… or simply managing optics?
🤔 Evanston, don’t just listen to the words. Watch the actions.
🎥 Watch this clip to see the energy inside the rally and meeting.
👉 Save this post and watch how it ages.
#Evanston #EPL #LibrariesMatter #UnionStrong #FollowTheTruth #DanielBiss #AFSCME #AFSCMELOCAL1891
📚🔥 What really went down at Fountain Square & the Library Board meeting?
Evanston Public Library workers and supporters rallied downtown, then marched to the board meeting to speak out against a controversial plan: splitting the library away from the City of Evanston and turning it into its own district.
The board says they’re exploring “financial autonomy” to cover a $19M renovation. But workers and community members fear the move could:
– Cut services, hours, and programs
– Drive up costs for the public
– Put union jobs and benefits at risk
– Open the door to privatization
The Evanston Public Library Board did not address the 50 grievances filed against them or the wrongful termination case they lost, leaving these serious issues unmentioned in public discussions.
Here are the facts:
✅ Mayor Daniel Biss has said splitting the library would be “bad for patrons, bad for programming, and bad for workers.”
❌ But he did not show up at the rally.
❌ And while he’s opposed to separation, he hasn’t made a clear public statement of support for the union itself.
That gap is what has people talking. Workers say they’ve only heard words, not seen actions. Many in Evanston recognize a familiar Biss pattern: polished statements in public, uncertainty about what’s happening behind the scenes.
Two of his opponents, State Representative Hoan Huynh and State Senator Laura Fine, showed up to rally in support of the union workers, as did Councilmember Clare Kelly, who came to publicly stand with the union.
⚠️ Note: The Evanston Public Library did not provide a microphone for public comment, so audio from the meeting isn’t perfect.
So the real question becomes: as the Mayor seeks higher office, is he truly standing with workers… or simply managing optics?
🤔 Evanston, don’t just listen to the words. Watch the actions.
🎥 Watch this clip to see the energy inside the rally and meeting.
👉 Save this post and watch how it ages.
#Evanston #EPL #LibrariesMatter #UnionStrong #FollowTheTruth #DanielBiss #AFSCME #AFSCMELOCAL1891
