Babylon Village and West Islip see challenges in Library Board races

West Islip voters head to polls April 4th, Babylon April 12th

by Ali Lanyon and Carolyn James

Three candidates—all retired— are vying for two seats on the West Islip Library Board. And, all three candidates say they are running because they’d like to give something back to their community.

The three, incumbent Joseph Shields, former board member Joan Schumacher who was appointed to fill the unexpired three year term of Andeugene Harple, and newcomer, Daniel Garcia square off at the library’s Trustee and Budget vote set for Tuesday, April 4. The polls are open from 10 a.m., to 9 p.m.

All three candidates said they support having the library bring another bond issue for renovations to the facility at 3 Higbie Lane to the public again. It fell short of passage by 30 votes late last year.

But, all agreed that the next proposal should be drafted only after working even harder to get public input, public notification and public sentiment into the process.

"I would like to work to bring another bond to the public, but of course it would be contingent on changes being made that the public feels should be done," said Joan Schumacher who served on the board from 1975 to 1985. "I would support having public meetings and discussions and asking the public what they feel is needed and how we can address the costs."

"I think the last bond issue was presented too close to the school district’s bond issue and people just felt frustrated," said Daniel Garcia, a retired West Islip school teacher who has lived in the district for 20 years. "We have to reach out to every segment of the community, particularly those who may not support the bond, ask them their opinions and see if we can reach a compromise."

Joseph Shields, who is seeking another term on the library board said discussions about bringing up the bond again are underway and that he was surprised with the outcome of the last vote. "We had 1,700 users of our computer internet program," he said. "I was very surprised that we didn’t get more people to support the bond, particularly since many of the new things we are bringing to the public are so popular."

Like Garcia, Shields is a former teacher. He taught English in the Massapequa School District and is active throughout the West Islip community as a volunteer in Our Lady of Lourdes. He is a member of the West Islip Chamber, the West Islip Orchestra and is recording secretary with the Holy Name Society at Our Lady of Lourdes.

Schumacher has been a resident of the district for 34 years. She is also a retired teacher from the West Babylon and West Islip Schools and said she is running because she believes the library is a place where every age, from toddler to senior, can find some area of interest. "My vision for the library is inclusion; the inclusion of all people in the many programs and services that the library now offers," she said. "and those which it hopes to offer."

Voters will be asked to select two of the three candidates. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes will get the five-year term and the second highest will get the three year term.

In addition to the vote for two trustees, residents will be asked to approve the library’s approximately $2.2 million operating budget for the coming year. The proposal represents a 1.93 percent increase in spending over last year and will raise library taxes on a home assessed at $30,000 approximately $3 a year.

For more information, call 661-7080.

In the Babylon Library races, Corinne "Rin" Robinson and Todd Schall are opposing incumbent Trustee Antoinette Mull for a five-year seat. The election takes place Wednesday, April 12, in the midst of a contractual dispute between the library and its Civil Service employees. All three candidates said, however, that their decision to run has is separate from the contract dispute, though Schall and Robinson said they believe they can bring a fresh perspective to the dispute.

Mulle has been on the board for 12 years and is a substitute teacher in the West Islip School District. She is proud, she said, of having worked with the other board members to bring computers and technology to the library and to enhance programs for adults and children alike.

"I think the experience I bring to the board is one of the most important things to be considered in this race," said Mulle. "I am familiar with computers and gained a lot of experience in working with the three directors who have served this library over the 12 years I have been on the board."

Corinne Robinson, a former library employee who retired after 26 years of service agrees that experience is important. "I was responsible for most of the library’s day-to-day business affairs for the last ten years, including payroll, accounts receivable and payable, as well as other duties," she said, adding that she worked with five directors during her years at the library. If elected, Robinson said she would focus on bringing more children’s’ services to the library.

Schall is an attorney with a practice in Nassau County. A resident of the area for three years, he has lectured in continuing education classes, specifically on disability rights. He is a member of both the Stony Brook and Hofstra law schools.

"While I am not privy to all of the facts about the negotiations, I would say generally that reaching a settlement is a better way to spend resources rather than battling each other and espending money on lawyers," said Schall, who considered running last year because he said he believes he can bring an outside perspective and expertise to the board.

The polls in Babylon will be open from noon until 9 p.m. For more information, call 669-1624.

Other communities presenting library budgets and Trustee races to the public include:

•Lindenhurst: The vote is April 4. The polls will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Incumbent Marcella O’Hanlon, who was appointed this year, is running unopposed for a Trustee's seat. This year’s proposed budget is $2.5 million, or approximately a $32,000 increase from last year. The new budget will increase the tax rate 7-cents per $100. A home assessed at 5,000 will pay approximately $3.50 more a year in library taxes if the budget is approved. For more information on the upcoming vote, call 957-7755.

•Deer Park Public Library, located at 44 Lake Avenue in Deer Park, will hold its vote on April 5. The polls will be open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Trustee Nathan Horn is seeking re-election and is unopposed. The finalized proposed budget was not available at press time. For more information, contact 586-3000.

Photographs of the other candidates running for office were not available at press time.