Two compete for W.H. library board seat

Two West Hempstead men are vying for a seat on the West Hempstead Public Library’s Board of Trustees. Each believes he can bring a unique perspective based on his professional experience to the board. Both claim to be qualified for the position. Only one will be elected. As taxpayers head to polls on May 17 to vote on the school and library budgets, they’ll be casting votes for either incumbent Owen Rumelt or his challenger, Thomas Mascia.

Owen Rumelt
Age: 51
Family: Married, two children
Years in community: 23
Years on the board: 2
Profession: Attorney

Owen Rumelt joined the West Hempstead library board in 2009, when he was appointed to replace his predecessor, who had resigned for personal reasons. He describes his two years as a trustee as an “enjoyable, somewhat challenging experience,” which is why he is seeking a full term.

According to Rumelt, the board has been able to not only maintain, but actually expand the library’s programs despite facing economic challenges. He believes he and his fellow trustees have made the library more efficient, improved the quality of programs and worked with the community in mind. His contribution to this effort is guided, in part, by his background in law.

“There have been occasional issues that come up and I’d like to think that I look at it with … ‘the lawyer’s eye,’” Rumelt said. “I’m somewhat skeptical sometimes about things, somewhat cynical, but want to make sure that, in the long run, we are doing things in the best and most efficient way.”

For Rumelt, who is the former president of the Young Israel of West Hempstead, a strong, quality library is a key element in any community: “[it] is very important to attract people to the community and to maintain the standards of the community,” he said, noting that this is why he became involved with the board. Rumelt said he was further inspired to join after seeing the efforts the board made several years ago to build the new library building.

Experiencing first-hand the impact he can have on maintaining the quality of the library as a board trustee, Rumelt is more than ready to serve a full term.