A budget hike and board seat are on Wyandanch library ballot
Voters will get to weigh in Tuesday on a proposed budget hike and elect a new trustee for the Wyandanch Public Library, seen here in 2020.
Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Local voters on Tuesday will weigh in on a proposed budget for the embattled Wyandanch Public Library that would raise taxes more than 3% and elect a new trustee in a race featuring a candidate previously kicked off the board.
Three candidates are running for the seat, an unpaid five-year term, to fill the spot of Ghenya Grant, 52, who isn't seeking reelection after more than 15 years on the board.
Those seeking to replace her are: former trustee Judith Graham-Guerrier, 75; Cindy Paschall, 58; and Latesha Walker, 45.
The library, the last on Long Island to reopen after a pandemic closure of more than a year, has been mired in controversy for a decade — including a 2014 state audit that found trustees didn't provide adequate oversight to prevent "fraud, waste and abuse."
Since a December reorganization meeting, the current board has worked on cosmetic and operational improvements under new leadership. Among changes have been new lighting and shelving, along with more security cameras and the cancellation of credit cards some former trustees held.
A review under new leadership also revealed the library had been paying $519 a month since 2013 for an off-site storage unit and that two on-site storage pod rentals dating back to 2007 contained cleaning supplies, old paperwork, computer monitors, a rusty griddle and a mattress.
Last month a new library director, Jessica Oelcher, filled the position that had been vacant for more than a year.
But in February, longtime library custodian Kwaisi McCorvey, the nephew of former trustee Nancy Holliday and one of the library's highest-paid employees, was suspended with pay after his arrest for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in 2016. Court records show he pleaded not guilty and the case is pending.
Newsday also remains in litigation with the library over its failure to respond substantively to public record requests dating back to 2019.
Amid these challenges, transparency is a common platform among trustee candidates.
Paschall, a Wyandanch school district teacher, also is pushing for a new library building. Walker, a district school board member, wants a total revamp of library policies.
Graham-Guerrier is looking to build a stronger relationship between the library and the community. She served seven years on the library board, including time as president, until a board vote in January 2020 removed her.
The ouster came after numerous clashes between Graham-Guerrier and Grant and Holliday, culminating in two 2019 meetings where Grant accused Graham-Guerrier of disrupting proceedings and called police.
The board hired an attorney to conduct an investigation into Graham-Guerrier that led to the removal vote.
The proposed budget for 2023-2024 is $2.12 million and represents a nearly 3.3% increase over last year’s budget of $2.05 million. Residents would see an average tax increase of $14.92 — the first increase since 2020.
“With our taxes not being raised in a few years, we would normally have been 8% to 10% higher than what we are at now,” said board president Jordan Thomas. “We wanted to increase services while keeping the tax increase low. Our goal is to maximize our budget while not being a burden on the community members.”
The proposed budget increases spending on salaries and benefits, materials and programs and capital expenditures. Salaries, 70% of the budget, would increase from nearly $1.29 million to $1.48 million. Materials and programs would increase from $110,947 to $182,500 and capital expenditures would climb from zero to $115,300.
Oelcher said the library, which has 21 employees, is looking to fill vacant positions for an adult librarian and a children’s librarian. Administrators also are raising page and clerk salaries to try "to align with what other libraries spend,” Thomas said.
Oelcher said the library also wants to add books that help with Civil Service testing and exams Eastern Suffolk BOCES students take.
Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the library at 14 S. 20th St.
Local voters on Tuesday will weigh in on a proposed budget for the embattled Wyandanch Public Library that would raise taxes more than 3% and elect a new trustee in a race featuring a candidate previously kicked off the board.
Three candidates are running for the seat, an unpaid five-year term, to fill the spot of Ghenya Grant, 52, who isn't seeking reelection after more than 15 years on the board.
Those seeking to replace her are: former trustee Judith Graham-Guerrier, 75; Cindy Paschall, 58; and Latesha Walker, 45.
The library, the last on Long Island to reopen after a pandemic closure of more than a year, has been mired in controversy for a decade — including a 2014 state audit that found trustees didn't provide adequate oversight to prevent "fraud, waste and abuse."
Since a December reorganization meeting, the current board has worked on cosmetic and operational improvements under new leadership. Among changes have been new lighting and shelving, along with more security cameras and the cancellation of credit cards some former trustees held.
A review under new leadership also revealed the library had been paying $519 a month since 2013 for an off-site storage unit and that two on-site storage pod rentals dating back to 2007 contained cleaning supplies, old paperwork, computer monitors, a rusty griddle and a mattress.
Last month a new library director, Jessica Oelcher, filled the position that had been vacant for more than a year.
But in February, longtime library custodian Kwaisi McCorvey, the nephew of former trustee Nancy Holliday and one of the library's highest-paid employees, was suspended with pay after his arrest for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in 2016. Court records show he pleaded not guilty and the case is pending.
Newsday also remains in litigation with the library over its failure to respond substantively to public record requests dating back to 2019.
Amid these challenges, transparency is a common platform among trustee candidates.
Paschall, a Wyandanch school district teacher, also is pushing for a new library building. Walker, a district school board member, wants a total revamp of library policies.
Graham-Guerrier is looking to build a stronger relationship between the library and the community. She served seven years on the library board, including time as president, until a board vote in January 2020 removed her.
The ouster came after numerous clashes between Graham-Guerrier and Grant and Holliday, culminating in two 2019 meetings where Grant accused Graham-Guerrier of disrupting proceedings and called police.
The board hired an attorney to conduct an investigation into Graham-Guerrier that led to the removal vote.
The proposed budget for 2023-2024 is $2.12 million and represents a nearly 3.3% increase over last year’s budget of $2.05 million. Residents would see an average tax increase of $14.92 — the first increase since 2020.
“With our taxes not being raised in a few years, we would normally have been 8% to 10% higher than what we are at now,” said board president Jordan Thomas. “We wanted to increase services while keeping the tax increase low. Our goal is to maximize our budget while not being a burden on the community members.”
The proposed budget increases spending on salaries and benefits, materials and programs and capital expenditures. Salaries, 70% of the budget, would increase from nearly $1.29 million to $1.48 million. Materials and programs would increase from $110,947 to $182,500 and capital expenditures would climb from zero to $115,300.
Oelcher said the library, which has 21 employees, is looking to fill vacant positions for an adult librarian and a children’s librarian. Administrators also are raising page and clerk salaries to try "to align with what other libraries spend,” Thomas said.
Oelcher said the library also wants to add books that help with Civil Service testing and exams Eastern Suffolk BOCES students take.
Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the library at 14 S. 20th St.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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