People remember Irivin Mayfield for having "stolen funds from the library." (When is this trial supposed to happen now, anyway?) And that is basically true but, technically, he stole from the separate non-profit foundation intended to raise money to supplement library projects. He didn't get his hands on the money that actually buys books and pays librarians and stuff. This wasn't for lack of trying, of course.
Prior to his time with the foundation, Mayfield was appointed by Ray Nagin to the actual library board which does oversee the dedicated millage that funds library operations. But he didn't last very long there specifically because the law constrained his ability to appropriate that money toward his outlandish schemes and pretend it had anything to do with the library's mission. So he left and joined the non-profit where they let you do exactly that. (That is, unless you are so outlandish and stupidly obvious about it that you get David Hammer's attention. Most of the criminals who operate the local non-profit industrial complex get away with it most of the time. Mayfield is really only exceptional in that he got nailed for it.)
Aaanyway, what
Montano and LaToya are doing now with this millage "rededication" is
they are removing the restrictions that prevented Mayfield's shenanigans
from affecting the library budget in favor of "flexibility." They are
taking money out of a legally proscribed fund and making it available
for the mayor and Peter Bowen to distribute to business and non-profit
cronies according to whatever "early childhood" or "economic
development" schemes they cook up. In other words, this is a classic privatization grift. They're basically just legalizing the Mayfield model.
Bonus fun fact: LaToya Cantrell launched her campaign for mayor from the
NO Jazz Market venue that Irvin built with funds redirected from the
library foundation.
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