Resident Jennifer Kennedy is checked in at the Amityville library voter registration table where she cast her ballot saying it is important to vote. Carolyn James/Herald
Voters in Massapequa and Plainedge will head to the polls May 19 to decide their library budgets alongside their school district votes. Meanwhile, residents in Amityville and Farmingdale cast their ballots earlier this month, approving their local library budgets and electing trustees on April 18.
Karen Klein was elected to a five-year seat on the Amityville Public Library board with 339 votes, and Equasia Yard-Jean won a one-year seat with 137 votes. They defeated Robert Brachman and Lauren Scanlon. The five-year seat was previously held by Eileen Taylor, who did not seek re-election, while Leslie Kretz stepped down from the one-year seat.
“The level of community involvement spoke volumes and personally I’m incredibly grateful and humbled by the overwhelming support I received.,” said Klein. “Having served on this board before, I expect to return with experience and a strong sense of our library’s history.”
Yard-Jean also thanked the community for their support. “I am absolutely thrilled and very grateful to the Amityville and East Massapequa community,” she said. “I am excited to work alongside the library director and the other members of the board.”
The proposed budget, which drew criticism in the weeks leading up to the vote—largely on social media—was approved by 62.8 percent of voters. The library proposed a tax levy of $3.77 million, an increase from the current budget of $3.59 million — a 4.9 percent increase.
A total of 308 residents supported the measure, while 182 opposed it.
Library Director Todd Schlitt also pointed to the vote as a sign of confidence from the community. “While the budget vote was a big part of the large turnout, since more of you voted in favor of it than against it, I am encouraged by this vote of confidence for our library’s future,” he said.
Much of the opposition centered on an estimated $40 annual increase for the average household, as well as delays in an ongoing construction project. Work was temporarily halted after elevated levels of zinc were discovered in groundwater during the installation of a new elevator, prompting involvement from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The project has since resumed after the general contractor implemented a filtration system that meets DEC standards, allowing treated water to be discharged safely. Steel installation began this week, marking a significant step forward.
Source: Massapequa Post
