EAST HAMPTON: Library Protesters Call for a Public Election Former board presidents also question whether a children's wing project is really necessary

Six former presidents of the East Hampton Library's board of managers are questioning the necessity of the proposed children's wing expansion and calling for a publicly elected library board.

In a letter to the board of managers and an advertisement in today's and last Thursday's issues of The East Hampton Star, the six said they were "distressed to see the library embroiled in public controversy" over library legislation that was vetoed last month by Gov. George E. Pataki.

Two of the former presidents, Helen Abel and Eleanor Ratsep, resigned from the board in August after a motion asking for the resignation of the president, Tom Twomey, was voted down. Mr. Twomey admitted at that meeting that he was the only board member who knew in advance about the legislation, which was vehemently opposed by East Hampton Village.

Had the legislation passed, it would have allowed the library to expand by up to 8,000 square feet without a special permit, as is now required under East Hampton Village zoning, thus removing the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals from the review process for the children's wing.

"Is expansion even necessary?" asked the former board presidents, who have incorporated as Library Taxpayer Advocates. They said children's book circulation was unchanged for 10 years, but declined by 12 percent last year and that adult book circulation was down by 28 percent in 2004. They also noted, however, that Internet use at the library was up by 13 percent in the same period.

While book circulation may be down, overall library use was up last year by 6 percent, Tara D'Amato, the library director, said Tuesday. "Normally in public libraries circulation fluctuates. The modern public library is really an information center. It is not a warehouse of books."

The former board presidents, who also include Alice Ham, Elizabeth Magill, Dorothy Osborn, and Joan Osborne, want the board of the East Hampton Library to face public elections and noted that Southampton, Bridgehampton, and Montauk have publicly elected library boards. Three appointed board members of the John Jermain Library's board in Sag Harbor will step down and be replaced this month by three elected board members.

"The New York State Board of Regents is recommending that those libraries taking public funds have publicly elected boards," the former presidents said in their ad.

The East Hampton Library is not a public library, but a free association library, so is subject to slightly different rules and regulations than public libraries. Its bylaws allow for 25 board members, nominated and elected by the board each May. There are 18 board members at the moment. Mr. Twomey is serving his eighth one-year term as president. Ms. Ratsep, who served before him, was president for seven years, but before that, board presidents had served for only two or three years.

The Library Taxpayer Advocates would like to see term limits, and residency and attendance requirements. They also want to require board members to be registered to vote in the district.

The library's annual budget is paid for with taxpayers' dollars, but its expansions in the past have been covered not by bonds, but by private donations, generally raised through the efforts of board members.

Because taxpayers are not asked to cover capital costs, the East Hampton Library's per capita cost to taxpayers is far less than that of other local libraries, Ms. D'Amato and Mr. Twomey said.

Many libraries raise 90 percent of their budget in taxes. East Hampton raises 70 percent of its budget this way.

"Our board had produced an enormous benefit to taxpayers because of this fiscally conservative approach to operating the library," said Mr. Twomey.

But the Library Taxpayer Advocates say the appointed board is not as accountable to the public as an elected board would be. They are calling the current arrangement "taxation without representation."

Mr. Twomey and Ms. D'Amato say that representation comes in the form of a public referendum on the library budget.

If others on the board agree, Mr. Twomey said he is willing to evaluate the idea of a publicly elected board, but he also sang the praises of the current board, which he said has raised $7 million in the last 10 years in private donations. "About half of that is through the capital campaign that I chaired. My ability and willingness to raise money is part of my value to the library."

"The library is not intending to ask the public for millions of dollars of construction money and that's the only reason I'm still president after eight years, to see if we could raise the money."

The Library Taxpayer Advocates have encouraged people who agree with them to write them or e-mail them at [email protected].