Eight Men & Women Out In Reform Push
The ax fell last Wednesday afternoon, July 23, on nearly half of Queens Borough Public Library’s board of trustees in the latest chapter of the library’s ongoing political drama.
Eight trustees, in all, were notified by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and the de Blasio administration of their dismissal. The board has 19 seats in all: nine appointed by the borough president, and the remaining appointed by the mayor.
Six of the eight ousted trustees were appointees of former Queens Borough President Helen Marshall: Jacqueline Arrington, Joseph R. Ficalora, William Jefferson, Grace Lawrence, Terri C. Mangino and George L. Stamatiades.
The other two doomed trustees were mayoral appointees Patricia Flynn and Stephen Van Anden.
Katz and the de Blasio administration took the actions under authority granted in state library reform legislation approved and enacted in June. Previously, a trustee could not be removed before the expiration of their five-year terms without the approval of the mayor and at least two-thirds of the board.
The law grants the borough president and mayor authority to remove any trustee whom they believe to have failed “to satisfactorily perform their duties,” according to a press release from Katz’s office.
However, it could take some time before the vacancies are filled, according to a spokesperson for Katz. By law, the mayor and borough president alternate in making trustee appointments.
Since Katz appointed Carl Koerner in March to fill a vacancy, de Blasio is next in line to make an appointment, the spokesperson noted. Katz would make the second appointment, with de Blasio make the third appointment, and Katz filling the remaining five vacancies.
The spokesperson told the Times Newsweekly last Friday, July 25, there was no timeframe for when de Blasio-who was due back in New York on Sunday, July 27, from his family’s vacation to Italy-would fill the first trustee vacancy.
In a statement, Queens Library did not address such charges and instead stated “every one of the tens of millions who has enriched his life through Queens Library owes” the trustees “thanks for their service.”
“Throughout the history of the Queens Borough Public Library, the people of Queens have benefitted enormously from a highly committed library Board of Trustees whose leadership has helped keep libraries open and free,” according to the statement. “They have helped make Queens Library a recognized national model of excellence. The board consists of volunteer high-profile professionals and community activists who make time out of their busy schedules.”
Reportedly, Katz believed the six trustees she removed failed “to properly oversee the finances of the Queens Library. The system came under fire earlier this year following reports that its president and CEO, Thomas W. Galante, earned a nearly $400,000 annual salary and authorized a six-figure renovation of his office even as Queens Library cut staff and services due to reduced government funding.
Galante was also found to have received a six-figure salary for offering part-time consulting to the Elmont Union School District in Nassau County while simultaneously leading Queens Library. There were also questions about Queens Library’s selection of outside contractors to perform certain services.
The FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and City Comptroller Scott Stringer each launched investigations into Queens Library’s finances. Katz and other lawmakers mounted pressure on the library’s board of trustees to remove Galante from power, claiming his continued leadership threatened the system’s financial viability.
The board, however, bristled lawmakers in May by deadlocking 9- 9 on a resolution to force Galante into a leave of absence until the inquiries cleared him of wrongdoing. On the day of the vote, it was reported, the board waited several hours in order for Mangino-who was in Florida- to fly back to Queens and cast the tying vote.
Then in June, the library board further angered its critics when it agreed to provide Stringer with financial documents in accordance with a 1997 agreement reached with then-City Comptroller Alan Hevesi. Stringer sought full disclosure of the library’s finances and filed a lawsuit seeking to have the agreement invalidated.
Meanwhile, Katz worked with Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry and State Sen. Michael Gianaris to author legislation instituting various reforms of Queens Library, including changing the appointment and removal process of trustees and instituting various public oversight measures. The Assembly and State Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill before ending its session last month, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it into law thereafter.
