Wyandanch Public Library to swear in new trustee to five-member board on Monday
Laurie Farber, newly elected trustee for the Wyandanch library's board of trustees, Thursday. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
A new trustee will be sworn onto the Wyandanch Public Library board of trustees on Monday, marking the first time in nearly 10 months that the board will have all five members.
Laurie Farber, 69, was elected to the position by voters earlier this month, beating out opponent Safaa Ata, 48, by just two votes. Although Ata initially questioned the results, library director Lambert Shell said Ata had rescinded her opposition and Farber would be sworn in at the library’s board meeting on Monday night.
Ata did not respond to requests for comment.
Board president Katrina Crawford, 44, who ran unopposed, was reelected to a five-year, unpaid term.
Voters also approved the 2024-2025 library budget by a tally of 86-26. The budget raises taxes by 2% to $21.77 per $100 of assessed value. Library officials did not provide a dollar amount of the increase. Under the current budget, the average household in Wyandanch pays $745 in taxes per year.
Farber will serve the one year remaining on the term of former board president Jordan Thomas, who stepped down for personal reasons in July. Library officials opted not to appoint someone to Thomas’ seat before the election.
“I’m thrilled because this is something I feel needs to be done, to get different people on the board who will continue to look upward and forward,” Farber told Newsday. “I’m really encouraged with the way things are starting to move and I want to make sure it keeps going that way.”
The beleaguered library recently faced the threat of losing its public funding after failing to meet state minimum standards, which included missing minutes of board meetings. The state said the library was “making progress” toward meeting those standards.
Residents also criticized the library over its handling of Kwaisi McCorvey, the library’s former head custodian who was fired last month, nearly six months after he pleaded guilty to raping a 16-year-old in North Amityville in 2016. That victim’s attorney filed a $30 million notice of claim against the library in July, and said he filed a lawsuit, which is sealed, in September.
A new trustee will be sworn onto the Wyandanch Public Library board of trustees on Monday, marking the first time in nearly 10 months that the board will have all five members.
Laurie Farber, 69, was elected to the position by voters earlier this month, beating out opponent Safaa Ata, 48, by just two votes. Although Ata initially questioned the results, library director Lambert Shell said Ata had rescinded her opposition and Farber would be sworn in at the library’s board meeting on Monday night.
Ata did not respond to requests for comment.
Board president Katrina Crawford, 44, who ran unopposed, was reelected to a five-year, unpaid term.
Voters also approved the 2024-2025 library budget by a tally of 86-26. The budget raises taxes by 2% to $21.77 per $100 of assessed value. Library officials did not provide a dollar amount of the increase. Under the current budget, the average household in Wyandanch pays $745 in taxes per year.
Farber will serve the one year remaining on the term of former board president Jordan Thomas, who stepped down for personal reasons in July. Library officials opted not to appoint someone to Thomas’ seat before the election.
“I’m thrilled because this is something I feel needs to be done, to get different people on the board who will continue to look upward and forward,” Farber told Newsday. “I’m really encouraged with the way things are starting to move and I want to make sure it keeps going that way.”
The beleaguered library recently faced the threat of losing its public funding after failing to meet state minimum standards, which included missing minutes of board meetings. The state said the library was “making progress” toward meeting those standards.
Residents also criticized the library over its handling of Kwaisi McCorvey, the library’s former head custodian who was fired last month, nearly six months after he pleaded guilty to raping a 16-year-old in North Amityville in 2016. That victim’s attorney filed a $30 million notice of claim against the library in July, and said he filed a lawsuit, which is sealed, in September.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
