Message from the Director |
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Dear Community Members,
As spring arrives, we look ahead to our upcoming budget vote and election here at Howland. This year, the vote will be held on Thursday, April 28, 2022, from 12 noon to 8pm in the Community Room of the library. Absentee ballot applications can be obtained at the library or on the library website beaconlibrary.org. Absentee Ballots must be returned by 5pm on April 28th.
Budget
The proposed increase this year is 5%, which is 1% more than last year’s approved budget, but lower than the 2020 and 2019 approved budgets. The Board of Trustees and I continue to be committed to keeping proposed increases reasonable, while making progress to expand staff and services to meet community needs. For a detailed look at the proposal please see our proposed budget document.
If the budget passes it will enable the library to increase the number of E-books available to patrons, which are always in demand. It will also allow for a small staff and department expansion aimed at continuing to better address user experiences and services as well as forge even deeper connections to the community and community groups.
Trustee Election
For the Trustee election there is one five-year term, one four-year term, and one three-year term open. We have an unprecedented number of candidates this year. Nine community members will be running at large for the three open seats. The candidates are listed below along with their candidate statement.
Marguerite (Greta) Byrum
Yvonne Caruthers
Pattiann LaVeglia
Elaine Leinung
Erin Mack
Mark Roland
Brooke Simmons
Emilia Sweeney
Jeffrey Young (Yang)
Thank you as always for your continuing support of Howland Library.
Sincerely,
Kristen Salierno, Director
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HPL Board of Trustees Election &
Library Budget Vote
Thursday, April 28, 12-8pm
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The Library will hold the annual budget vote and trustee election on Thursday, April 28th from 12 noon to 8pm in the Library's Community Room. All registered voters in the Beacon City School District are eligible to vote. Absentee ballot applications are available at the library and HERE. Absentee ballots must be returned by 5pm on Thursday, April 28th.
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Greta Byrum is Director of the Just Tech Program at the Social Science Research Council. Previously, she founded Community Tech NY, a non-profit creating community-owned broadband ecosystems; built the New School’s Digital Equity Lab; and founded the Resilient Communities Program at New America, an initiative bringing storm-hardened mesh WiFi to five neighborhoods in NYC’s flood zones. Greta has a background in urban planning, communication technologies, and poetry; was a Loeb and a Fulbright Fellow; and serves on the boards of the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO), the New York State Regents’ Advisory Council, the Southern Connected Communities Project, and the Digital Equity Research Center at METRO. Greta would be honored to bring her background on healthy digital equity ecosystems to Beacon's library community. |
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Yvonne Caruthers retired in 2014 after a 35 year career as a cellist in the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., the resident orchestra of the Kennedy Center. Since retiring, the mom of 3 and grandmother of 3, looks for ways to contribute to her community. When she lived in Jersey City, she was a founder and president of PFLAG Jersey City, a group that supports families of the LGBTQ+ community. She believes that the best antidote to “fake news” is access to good information—therefore we need strong libraries, and if elected to the board, she would work towards making our library an even better community hub. Good libraries support vibrant communities! |
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I am a retired Nurse Educator. When I moved to Beacon in 2019, I immediately joined the library. The services provided at Howland Library gave me a new start. Allison Herero encouraged me to participate in the activities the Library has to offer. Kathy Furfey, a trustee, has become a friend. I have many years of service on served on School Boards, Community Boards, Education Boards. It would be a privilege to serve as a Trustee on the Library Board.
Public libraries are the heart of the community. I strongly believe we need to work to not only keep funding for the library but find ways to increase the Budget.
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I have been a resident of the Hudson Valley for the past 16 years with my husband and 3 kids, who attend school in Beacon. I’m a certified school psychologist, who previously worked in Middletown. Soon, I will be starting a consultant position with the Anderson Center for Autism. The Howland Library was an integral part of our lives when my children were young. We loved story time with Ms. Ginny and attended Come and Play regularly. We were grateful for programs during the pandemic such as the online book club. My family and I are extremely fortunate to have a place such as the Howland Library enriching our lives. I look forward to giving back. Thank you for your consideration! |
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Pattiann LaVeglia, PhD is a native Beaconite. Pattiann proudly served our nation as an Arabic Translator in the USAF and went on to become a certified teacher in both regular and special education. She has over 15 years’ experience as an educator in the elementary and junior high school grades, and as an adjunct at Mount Saint Mary College. She is also a business owner here in Beacon. Her PhD is in Literacy and Educational Leadership, and she is currently the Assistant Executive Director of Clinical Services and Staff Development for Greystone Programs. Volunteering to serve as a trustee is an opportunity to contribute to the mission and vision of the library by advocating for the diverse and ever expanding needs of our greater community. |
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I opened an antique store on Main Street 20 years ago. These days I can be found working at Beacon's new bike shop. I was a co-founder of Beacon Deserves Better, a citizen’s group that helped stop Metro North’s misguided development plans for the waterfront. My son and I are frequent visitors of the Howland. As a trustee, I would continue to focus on the Howland’s long range planning goals, including more programs for both young and older adults, as well as collaborations with community organizations. I believe these goals will be ever more important as our national leadership continues to be ever more disconnected from our daily reality. The library is a place where together we can re-ignite our imaginations and learn to take care of ourselves. |
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Born and raised in Beacon, Brooke Simmons is a community leader with a passion for building strong connections and creating positive change. As a founding board member of I Am Beacon, Brooke has a proven track record for managing various projects to create positive change in our community. In addition, Brooke has served on the Beacon Recreation Committee, Beacon City Charter Commission, Spirit of Beacon Day Committee, and Beacon Police Reform Committee.
In addition, Brooke is a corporate professional a with expertise in market research, shopper behavior and strategic planning. Running for the Board of Trustees is a great opportunity for Brooke to combine her skills in community building with her corporate leadership to evaluate resources and to the shape the future of our library.
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My name is Emilia Sweeney and I’ve been living in Beacon/ town of Fishkill with my husband, and a few unclaimed critters for 16 ½ years. I grew up in the Big Apple, however, as a child, I spend most of my summers in Plattekill, NY. The very place that gave me the love and appreciation for Nature. While I have many interest, the ones I like to highlight are as follow: discovering and exchanging new ideas, gardening, hiking, traveling, and learning. All of these pursuits, have been and continue to be possible because of the public libraries, surrounding libraries and the Howland library… An “absolute treasure” yet, I can’t express my gratitude for having access to libraries. So what’s the best way for me to give back to my community and help the library “grow”? Run for trustee of the Howland Library. I’m prepared and committed to work with the trustees and the director in improving the library and its programs and making Howland Library a special place for the wonderful diverse community. |
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Jeffrey Yang has lived in Beacon with his family since 2005. He, his wife, and two children have been devoted members of The Howland Public Library. His children, now in high school, have been borrowing books since they could read. He hopes to be able to help the library grow and flourish during an exciting time of transition. Yang works as an editor at New Directions Publishing and New York Review Books. |
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