As workers ripped out carpet within a perimeter of yellow tape at Calumet City’s public library Thursday, Library Director Rita Mayfield beamed with enthusiasm as she spoke of her future plans for the space.
Mayfield, who is also a state representative with constituents in Waukegan, North Chicago and other north suburban communities, said she was hired in 2023 during a period of turmoil at the south suburban library.
“I met with the board at that time, and they’re like, we need somebody that can come in and help turn the library around, make it more community and people-focused,” Mayfield said.
She said Library Board members also made clear that “we don’t have any money.” With that in mind, Mayfield was told applying for grants would be an essential part of her new role.
Three years later, Mayfield said she’s proud to have secured about $3 million in grant awards that will help refresh the more than 30,000-square-foot space. By September, patrons could see three glass-walled community rooms in the center of the library as well as a new recording studio in the youth services area, she said.
But under the surface there remain political tensions that some say have affected the library’s management and atmosphere under Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones.
In Calumet City, the mayor is responsible for appointing members of the Library Board, who approve all staff hires and manage operations.
President of the board is Erica France Jenkins, who is Jones’ chief of staff in his role as state representative. She also challenged 2nd Ward Ald. Monet Wilson on the mayor’s slate during the city’s 2025 election and contributed $11,500 to his campaign for state representative between 2021 and 2025, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
Wilson, who is an outspoken opponent of the mayor, said she has repeatedly heard and expressed concerns about board members’ ties to Jones as well as staff hiring decisions, as the library sits within the ward she represents.
Since Jones was sworn in as mayor in 2021, Wilson said, the library has been the site of many community events that she believes serve to promote Jones as a political figure.
“It’s gone from a place of learning to a party place,” Wilson said. “Not only do we not want to hear all of that noise when we’re coming home from work, but we don’t want to struggle with parking because you’ve turned a place of quiet enjoyment to a party spot.”
Mayfield said the library stays open during community events, and “no one is doing anything political inside of this library.”
“That is outside of what libraries are for,” she said.
Sarah Jo Ritchie said as a disabled resident who was born and raised in Calumet City, “the library is my Cheers bar.”
“The library is more than just books,” the 39-year-old said. “The library is where seniors come to cool off who can’t afford air conditioning. The library is where disabled people or people on low income come to use computers and internet to pay their medical bills.”
But after Jones was first elected to replace former Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush, Ritchie said she noticed a major shift in the library’s environment as many staff members quit or were pushed out by the new administration.
She recalled on multiple occasions showing up to the library to find it closed for an event that was not advertised on its website. Ritchie also raised concerns about a new requirement under Mayfield that patrons sign in after they walk through the door.
“The problem is the politics,” Ritchie said. “If the politics weren’t there, there wouldn’t be an issue. I’ve never felt unwelcome at the library until this came around.”
The sign-in requirement, according to Mayfield, came from issues with people who would come to the library without a specific purpose.
“They would just come here for random reasons, and we had a lot of mischief occurring, particularly with older youth,” she said. “What we noticed is that when we asked them to sign in, the mischief stopped.”
Ritchie said she now visits the Lansing public library in favor of Calumet City’s space. Lansing Library Director Lisa Korajczyk said she’s not the only one.
“We get a lot of their patrons who complain,” about the sign in requirement and other changes under Jones’ administration, Korajczyk said.
While Mayfield said signing in keeps people from causing trouble, Korajczyk said, “I think it keeps people out, period.”
“And they pay for that library. Taxpayers support that library,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mayfield points to what she sees as positive changes under her tenure, including more community programming options and the renovations underway. While the library is currently closed on weekends due to few visitors, Mayfield said, she is open to bringing back Saturday hours in the future.
But she said she agrees with library critics that in an ideal world, the city and library would be separate bodies.
She said as the City Council prepares to begin public discussions of its 2027 budget, she’ll plead her case for the approval of a tax levy increase to help meet goals including boosting staff member salaries and fixing HVAC and roofing issues. But she’s not optimistic.
“It’s not going to happen, not in this climate,” she said.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
