Two candidates vie for library board seat

Joseph Lee and Barbara Mosca

Longtime Long Beach residents Joseph Lee and Barbara Mosca will battle for a seat on the Library Board of Trustees in an election on May 19. Both candidates said advocating for the West End branch would be a top priority if elected.

They are running for a seat to be vacated by Trustee Kathleen Dwyer, whose term is up and is not seeking re-election.The library’s West End Branch, at 810 W. Beech St., was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The fate of the branch had been a source of ongoing debate in the community, with members of the public such as the West End Neighbors Civic Association calling on the library board to open up a new facility. Last October, the board voted to open a new West End branch at 901 W. Beech St.

Lee has been critical of the library board over what he called a lack of transparency over the progress of the West End branch. He said that after the board’s announcement last fall, no new information was released about the project for months.

“If something’s wrong, tell us what it is. Don’t give us a news-blackout,” he said.

His call for transparency was answered in March, when the board acknowledged that there had been issues with mold at the new property, Lee said.

“The mistake was made and now it’s been corrected — but it should have been disclosed before,” he added.

For her part, Mosca said that she would advocate for the new branch to open before the summer season if elected.

The trustees function as the library’s legislative body and serve five-year terms, Library Director George Trepp said. They set and adopt policy, review the budget, select the director and negotiate staff contracts, Trepp explained.

Lee has been a practicing attorney in Long Beach for the past 30 years, which he said afforded him unique contact with the residential and business communities regarding what services each would like to see from the library. As an officer in the Long Beach Lions club, he’s worked to raise funds for charities benefiting the visually impaired.

“Our library offers substantially growing resources for people with these needs,” Lee said.