Straight Answers from Mary Dempsey.

The article presents an interview with Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey, on what it was like to clean up somebody else's mess in city hall, a task that she calls part of a commitment to an ever-better quality of life in her beloved city. When asked why she took the unusual assignment in city hall, he said that first, she was asked. She did not seek it out. The major asked her to do it, and she had reasons for saying yes. Dempsey cited factors that influenced Chicago Public Library in Illinois to open new branches at a time when other big systems are closing them. INSET: Illinois Humanities Council Honors Chicago Public Library….