By MIKE RUSSO
He received hate mail, bad press in the local newspaper and a taped message threatening his life.
After three decades on the Baldwin Public Library board, however, Kamen has proved that he was always the man for the job. He will put an end to that 30-year career by voluntarily stepping down as board president at the end of his term this year.
"It's time," said Kamen. "I feel I did everything I could possibly do. I've worked with the best and I've done my best."
Kamen, 50, grew up in South Baldwin, and still remembers his first experiences at the Baldwin Public Library. He used to ride his bike from his job at a corner drug store to the library, where he would sit on one of the steps inside. One day, a worker told him he wasn't allowed to sit there. Frustrated, Kamen grew interested in finding out who was in charge at the library.
It wasn't long before he found himself running for the library board. It was 1978, and he was 20 years old. Kamen was the youngest person ever elected to public office in Baldwin, and the youngest in New York state to be elected to a library board.
As he remembers it, he had the support of neither local politicians nor the local media. It seemed as if everyone felt he was too young and not qualified for such an important role in the community, and they let him know it. Kamen was sent all kinds of nasty letters, and was dismissed by the local newspaper, the Baldwin Citizen.
But he believed he was ready. He had been the student representative for the educational assembly at Baldwin Senior High School, was writing letters to the editor and attending school board meetings at 17 and joined the auxiliary police at 18. He felt that the library board, while it did a good job, was afraid to get creative.
"I didn't have to take on the world at the time, but I was interested in getting involved with government and the community," Kamen recalled. "I care very much about anything I'm involved in."
Overcoming the criticism, he was elected to a five-year term on the board. His family and friends were behind him, but it seemed as if no one on the board thought he could do the job, and, he says, he got little respect. Initially Kamen intended to serve only one term. By the time it neared an end, people were urging him to stay on because he had done such a good job.
Kamen helped reach a settlement on raises with library pagers, and was instrumental in getting a security system installed in the facility at a time when not many other libraries had them.
In 1986 he was elected president of the library board. He was responsible for making sure that board members worked cooperatively with each other, overseeing the library's functions and managing the budget. Every library budget since Kamen joined the board has passed, and he is confident that this year's spending plan - which, remarkably, is no larger than the current year's - will pass as well.
Kamen oversaw the 1986 expansion of the library, which incorporated the old EAB bank next door - now home to the children's department. The move to acquire the land, valued at $400,000, was declared an outrage by some in the community. People once again wrote angry letters to the newspaper and bad-mouthed Kamen. But once again, voters supported the acquisition, and today the property is worth about $2 million.
Kamen started the Employee Idea Recognition Award program, in which employees offer suggestions to the board. The winners are given a certificate and a day off. He also came up with Baldwin Library Day, a birthday celebration for the library with activities for residents of all ages. Kamen said he has always given people a chance to voice their opinions and has always been open to new ideas.
Cathy Overton, who was appointed by Kamen and the rest of the board to be the temporary librarian-in-charge after director Barbara Hopkins retired, said that Kamen was a great person to work with and always looked out for the best interests of the library. "Kevin Kamen brought an unshakable, passionate commitment to the library," said Overton. "He was a champion of fiscal responsibility, as shown by the successful passage of every library budget during his tenure. Kevin has always been an advocate for the library, and working with him for the past four years has been a privilege."
Hopkins said that one of the first things Kamen had her do when she came to the library in 1986 was to read about the history of the community and the library. "He was so proud of the community and its accomplishments that I knew it was going to be a great place to work, and under his guidance and leadership, it was," said Hopkins. "Now that he is retiring as trustee, he deserves the grateful thanks of the community he loves and has served so well. I wish him and [his wife] Cheryl good health, good friends and good times for many years to come."
"In the two years that I've worked with him, Kevin's energy and sincere desire to ensure that the Baldwin Public Library is the heart of the community has been a personal inspiration to me," said current library director Maria Sysak. "He challenges all of us to give our best."
Kamen said that future board presidents must do three things: take their fiduciary responsibility very seriously, hire the best people to run the library and be transparent and honest with citizens. "The president's job is to be to very creative, not just to sit in a chair," he said.
On July 1, for the first time in 30 years, Kamen will no longer be an elected public official. He will continue to run Kamen and Company Group Services, his successful publishing company. But as far as any other summer plans are concerned, he said, "I'll be at home in Clearwater, Florida, with my wife and an alcohol-free pina
colada."
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
