Three to vie for two open Rockville Centre Library board seats

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The Rockville Centre Library board of trustees vote is set for May 17 and features three candidates vying for two positions.
The Rockville Centre Library board of trustees vote is set for May 17 and features three candidates vying for two positions.

One incumbent and two newcomers will vie for two open library board of trustee seats during the Rockville Centre School District vote on May 17.

Library board President Michael Ludwig will seek re-election to the board, while Meryl Sussman and Michael Lucchesi are also seeking the vote. Secretary Susanne Morahan is not seeking re-election.

The library’s proposed 2022-23 budget comes with an estimated annual tax increase of $13 for the average Rockville Centre homeowner. The library’s tax levy is $3.8 million, up by $100,000 from 2021-22, but the tax increase is under the state cap of 2.66 percent.

The next hearing on the spending plan is set for May 10. Voting will take place at South Side High School on May 17.

Ahead of the election, the Herald asked all three candidates to share their goals for the library, if elected.

 

Herald: Why are you running for a seat on the library board?

Ludwig: I am now serving, having been elected in 2019. I have always loved libraries and want to serve my community to ensure the facility stays the vibrant hub that it is. I have become much more familiar with all the services and programs offered by the library. It has been my privilege to serve the community to help ensure that the library continues and expands on its excellent history.

Lucchesi: I have a lot of hometown pride for Rockville Centre. The year after I graduated college, I began volunteer coaching for the RVC Lacrosse Club. This led to becoming a board member for the club for six years. I was also a volunteer assistant coach for the South Side High School varsity boys’ lacrosse team for seven years. Now that my wife Lisa and I have two school age sons, I would like to continue my community service and volunteer work for something else that I am passionate about.

Sussman: After public schools, libraries have been the most important community institutions in my life. My family could not afford many vacations or summer camps for me, so the library was where I spent long days learning about the world, past, present and future. Throughout my academic and professional careers, libraries supported my research and writing, as well as providing places to study and read for enjoyment. As careers took us away from New York, it was the quality of the library that helped me choose where to live in the new towns we checked out in several states. I want to give back to the institution that has made such an impact on my life and retirement has given me the time to do it.

Libraries are unique institutions in communities. They give citizens access to a wide spectrum of ideas, information, and opportunities for learning, exploration and enjoyment. They are community centers providing services in new modalities to reach each person in the way that individual needs. The integration of services across library systems offers access to the holdings and riches of member libraries across the county and country. It is also important to have a welcoming physical plant that provides ways for groups and individuals to come together for common interests, activities, and events. I believe that service on the board will give me a chance to help the library meet its multiple missions to the community.

Herald: What are your goals for the future of the library, if elected?

Ludwig: My main goals are to provide oversight regarding the budget process and to continue the library’s mission by providing Rockville Centre residents with access to information and materials, which will aid them in their pursuit of education, information, recreation and the creative use of leisure time.

I trust the library director and professional staff to continue to offer all they are providing while continuing to innovate. For example, while the Covid-19 pandemic forced the closure of the library for many weeks, the director and staff were able to pivot to continue to provide the services and programs the community has come to expect. Many programs switched to virtual platforms, and while we are mostly back to “normal,” virtual and hybrid programs will continue as we learned they provided a lifeline for homebound and elderly patrons.

Lucchesi: I think the library board and staff do an incredible job. In my opinion, the library is one of the best on Long Island. I would like to learn, work hard and be a team player to continue and build on the library’s successes.

Sussman: My goals are to ensure it meets the needs of the community while using its assets in fiscally sound ways. I support current efforts to track patterns of usage and interest, integrate with regional and county systems as appropriate to maximize benefits while holding down costs and continuing to explore trends in new programming for all sectors of the community. My goal is to support the expansion of these efforts so that the library maintains its critical role to aid Rockville Centre residents in pursuing their education, research and leisure and creative pursuits in a welcoming and community-enhancing atmosphere.

Herald: The library recently began using a mobile printing app, are there any other innovations you’d like to see implemented in the future?

Ludwig: The library, thanks to the Friends of the Library, continues to provide free passes to many local and regional artistic and cultural institutions. It also welcomes new ideas and a wide array of programming appropriate for all the library’s constituents. A few examples include yoga, roll around classes for children, defensive driving classes, best sellers club, and a short story and poetry discussion group. The library has recently instituted a program that offers patrons the ability to take out mobile hot spots so they can stay connected while traveling. An important innovation that began during the pandemic was the expansion of free Wi-Fi available in the parking lot, even while the library is closed.

Lucchesi: My wife and I are working parents, as many of us here are in the village. I would love to continue to develop the after-school children’s programs as well as special education programs at the library.

Sussman: I have lived in different states and in each town, libraries were innovating to meet the needs of their community. One library opened a low-cost coffee shop that became a popular after-school “hang out” for teens and a morning meeting place for adults to conduct business or to relax and read. In another town, the library purchased high-tech items, such as robotic gadgets and a 3-D printer, to meet the needs of its community.

Recently, libraries had to innovate due to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. As people were physically limited, yet needed the library’s services perhaps more than ever, local libraries initiated new ways to reach their constituents using technology and practical approaches. What we all learned about how to reach people in new ways will inform the future of library services and continue to provide access for people who cannot use the library in the traditional ways.

I believe new directions can be revealed by studying the community. I would rather ask: how do we know what the community needs? And how can we meet those needs in ways that are not cost-prohibitive or inconsistent with the mission of the library? For example, as our residents age, how can we provide access to library resources as health and abilities change? Can we expand the use of technology to enhance visibility, provide audio or translation services, or new strategies to reach homebound members of the community, like the Library to Your Door program is doing?

Herald: Why do you think voters should elect you to this position?

Ludwig: I have served for the past three years and learned much about the workings and programs offered by the library. I am continually impressed with the creativity and hard work of the entire staff. The pandemic was and continues to be a challenging time for our community. However, because of the library’s adaptations, I believe it is not only stronger, but that the services have improved by being able to offer virtual and hybrid programming. Being a library trustee is important to me, as I believe that the library is one of the few remaining truly public spaces available in many communities across the United States. A strong and vibrant public library is one of the pillars of a strong and vibrant community. I want to continue to see the library fulfill its mission and therefore continue to strengthen our community.

Lucchesi:  I am a relentless worker and will put the time and effort needed into making the library better for every resident. Thank you to the community for its consideration of voting for me as a library trustee.

Sussman: I can bring many professional skills to my role on the board. I had a successful career in academic administration, mostly in public community colleges. In the largest community college in Illinois with 25,000 students, I managed a divisional budget of $17 million with more than 70 full-time faculty members and professional staff and 22 labs. Much like public libraries, community colleges are more than single mission institutions. We offered recreational, cultural, business development, and leisure activities, as well as educational services.

I worked on accreditation reports and negotiated contracts. I understand institutional budgeting, staffing and project development, as well as strategies to survey and identify population changes and to set institutional goals to meet new challenges. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, I have a deep passion for libraries and a commitment to their role in our democracy. They must be open to all members of the community, to enhance the vitality of individuals and our village with a wide range of activities and access to the finest works of the finest minds in the world. I am committed to the enhancing the role of the library in the lives of its residents. This is the best way I can give back to the institution I love and the community I value.