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Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch threatens to sue Boston Library to force return of John Adams books
– News about Quincy Massachusetts from Quincy Quarry News with commentary added
Generalissimo El Jefe Thomas P. Koch, Esq.
A Quincy Quarry News meme
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch is now looking to sue the Boston Public Library to let him check out President John Adams’ personal library collection.
In his latest and most gobsmacking display of an ego run amok as well as ignorance of the law to date, less than a week after Mayor Koch announced his plans for a sure to cost at least a couple hundred millions dollars Adams Presidential Center even if the City of Quincy does not have any say about President John Adams’ personal library collection of roughly three thousand books, Koch has threatened to sue to sue the Boston Public Library if it does not let him permanently check out these books.
Per a preliminary review, Quincy Quarry News’ legal and other affairs desk views Koch’s latest plans to pursue litigation as as doomed as have been essentially all of his other forays into court on other major matters pertaining to the City of Quincy.
A but sample of the apparent shortcomings in this latest case of Mayor Koch’s ignorance of the law include the following.
“Get out of my court.”
A Paramount Television image
Koch’s assertions to the contrary notwithstanding that the books were given to the then Town of Quincy, a straight reading of President John Adams’ bequest of the books can only lead one to view the books as provided to be the basis of the library for the now former Adams Academy, a one-time school for boys.
Put another way, it would clearly appear that the City of Quincy has no legal standing to make a claim to control the domicile of the books.
Additionally, in 1895, Charles Francis Adams, Jr, a great grandson of President John Adams, saw to it that the books were turned over to the Boston Public Library as the Quincy Public Library was unable to duly care for the collection.
Money up in smoke yet again
Image via cheatsheet.com
Conversely, by all accounts the Boston Public Library has done a superb job of caring for the books and thus there is no publicly known basis for Koch to press for the custody of the books by Boston to be revoked as it has duly lived up to its side of the care and custody agreement.
Plus, even if there was a basis to unwind the agreement by going to court, there is the problem that Koch would surely have to pony up millions to reimburse Boston for its good faith investments on conservancy and storage facilities to care for the books.
Not so easy money …
An Easy Money Associates/Orion Pictures
And speaking of facilities, there are no facilities in Quincy to properly hold, much less duly conserve, the books.
Granted, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch has formally rolled out his likely at least couple hundred million dollar cocktail napkin of a vague notion for his latest “Edifice Complex” in Quincy and into which he seeks to see the books relocated, an actual functioning facility is likely at best around decade away from perhaps happening.
In the meanwhile, there is virtually no way that a court would agree to imposing even but merely a prospective order to eventually move the books so that Koch might in the meanwhile have control of the books such that he can promote them in the fundraising efforts that will be needed to score the couple hundred or so large to build an Adams presidential whatever.
Also note that Koch filing a lawsuit would only bring attention to the fact that his latest grandiose plans have problems.
A huge problem as regards seeking donated funds as who would kick in money while litigation was underway over the star attraction?
The Koch Administration’s legal team …
An old Columbia Pictures image
Plus, there is the clear record that in other matters of major financial consequence for local taxpayers, the Koch Maladministration has lost all manner of other cases that have cost local taxpayers well over a $100 million dollars in damages awarded and care of settlement agreements.
And finally, there is the fact that the City of Quincy was ordered by the court stripped of its trusteeship of the Adams Temple and School Fund for cause a handful or so years ago.
Granted, while only tangentially related to the pending book fight, such only underscores that Quincy’s one-time holding of the books was also, well, amiss.
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A major problem seems to be that he believes his own BS.
Is he in a contest with himself to see how many ways he can waste taxpayers’ money?