Library board candidates speak out

In addition to deciding on the budget and voting for school board candidates, School District 15 voters will also cast ballots for the proposed Peninsula Public Library budget and its trustee candidates on Tuesday, May 17.

The total library-operating budget is $2,912,490 — an increase of $78,930 — from the current fiscal plan of $2,842,560. Voters are also being asked to approve a $2,667,140 tax appropriation, which is the amount that will be paid by taxpayers.

Last year residents approved a tax appropriation of $2,591,210. Though costs went down in certain areas —$7,000 less for printing, publicity and postage and $5,000 less in professional fees — there was a jump in what the library will pay for employee pension benefits from $155,00 to $207,285.

“We’re trying to provide the patrons with the best service and are aware of everyone’s fiscal concerns,” said Library

Director Arleen Reo, who noted the increase translates to approximately $10 per household for the year.

Contacting patrons through email and participation in the consortium that purchases eBooks and audio books has cut costs, she said, but some money was lost as government grants dried up due to the economy.

“We’re trying to maintain our costs with the use of technology,” said Reo, who added that the library is currently negotiating to create a museum-pass program for museums in New York City. PPL is one of the few libraries that is open on Sundays in the summer and it circulates 30,000 items per month, a large amount for a small to mid-sized library, she said.

Jeffrey Leb is challenging incumbent Stanley Nussbaum for a 5-year term. Patricia Pope, who was appointed in November in place of Eva Marie Doran, and Sarah Yastrab, are vying to serve one year and complete Doran’s unexpired term.

Voting is from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Number Two School, 1 Donahue Ave., Inwood; Number Six School, 523 Church Ave., Woodmere; Lawrence Middle School, 195 Broadway, Lawrence; Lawrence High School, 2 Reilly Road, Cedarhurst and Atlantic Beach Village Hall, 65 The Plaza, Atlantic Beach.

Stanley Nussbaum

Running for his second 5-year term, Nussbaum, 80, a retired dentist from Atlantic Beach, said he is interested in promoting what the library does and helping the community receive the benefits of this facility, while reaching out to all segments of the community.

Nussbaum’s background includes having served as president of the Five Towns Jewish Council and the Conference of Jewish Organizations in Nassau County (an umbrella group for all Jewish organizations), a member of the Jewish Community Relations Board, state Democratic committeeman and president of the Five Towns Democratic Club.

With regard to the ongoing issue of the library seeking a another site for a new building, Nussbaum said that he hopes they can construct a library that reflects what the community deserves.

“If the community comes together we can find a way,” he said. “In the meantime we are doing the best with what we got.”

That includes offering the programs and services the community wants and keeping up on new technologies, said Nussbaum, who added that working for the benefit of the community is fulfilling. “Whether it’s the books or programs we offer in the library, I want to look at the full schedule, I want to see what is offered and expand it.”

Jeffrey Leb

After living in Brooklyn, where Leb, 32, co-founded the Josh Rubenstein Jewish Community Council of Marine Park, moved to Cedarhurst one and a half years ago. The Community Council helped residents with an array of problems from paying for heat or food to obtaining services for those battling domestic abuse.

Leb, a political consultant, said he went to the library and didn’t like what he saw calling the 50-year old building “shoddy and depressing.” “I went to a bunch of board meetings and I think they need a fresh face and new ideas,” said Leb, who thinks that the library wasted time and money when seeking the land for a new building by Zion Park near the Lawrence Long Island Rail Road Station and not conducting a title search to learn that the MTA’s restrictive covenant wouldn’t allow such construction. He also noted the lack of movement on the library’s tentative agreement with Temple Israel, where the temple proposes to sell land to PPL for a new library.

He said he wants to conduct a forensic audit to see how the money is spent and figure out the most efficient way to spend it without increasing taxes. Leb said he also wants to evaluate the technology being used at the library and the current programs to see if they are being used, while seeking to offer new classes such as Mommy and Me.

“I think I can offer positive change and a different approach,” said Leb, who wants to make PPL more like the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library. “I will do everything I can to see that happens.”

Patricia Pope

With more than 30 years of experience in the community, Pope, an Inwood resident, who describes herself as a retiree, worked for Manufacturers Hanover Trust Bank and as an administrative assistant to a Family Court judge. She is also a nurse, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree.

“I always had a love for the library and contemplated getting a master’s in library science,” said Pope, who considers herself a lifelong learner and being on the board is her way of giving back to the community. “I lend diversity to the board and want to continue to have the library in our community.” This is important due to the constant changes in technology, she added.

Working toward a new building and increasing the diversity of programs offered are Pope’s primary goals. “We are resolved to get a new facility in the community, a larger building is needed,” she said. “I would like to get more people involved in the library, continue with all the programs and have more multi-cultural ones.”

Interacting with people and her new found knowledge of the library is what she has enjoyed the past several months, but

Pope said she also brings a seriousness to the board.

“I am a longtime resident, who brings intellect to the board, a different outlook and I am willing to listen to my community and their interests.”

Sarah Yastrab

Saying that the library is a great place for everyone to come together, Yastrab, 40, an occupational therapist, who lives in Woodmere, said she wants to see PPL embrace 21st century technology more, improve its building, be more community oriented and work more with local government.

She has worked on local political campaigns, and through her synagogue been involved in fundraising events and served on the bereavement committee.

“I want to see more transparency, I went to a budget hearing and don’t really know what’s being spent,” Yastrab said. “I am very concerned about the money spent on lawyers and architects on projects (Zion Park, Temple Israel) that had no possibility of going anywhere.”

Yastrab thinks that the library needs to speak to the village governments of Lawrence and Cedarhurst, “to work something out,” in seeking a new site and building. If elected, she said she would help bridge that gap and bring the issue to the community.

“I would make it everybody’s project with residents going to the village board so they own it, create more excitement so it gains more traction,” she said.

Technology is another area Yastrab would like to upgrade from eBooks to making the entire computer system more sophisticated, she said. “I think, I represent a younger demographic, I have worked with people of all levels and backgrounds and have a good sense of what people are looking for and with that understanding, I am a person to get those needs filled.”