New Wyandanch leadership discovering skeletons in the closet as they rebuild beleaguered institution
Wyandanch Library president Jordan D. Thomas, center, at a board of trustees meeting on March 27. Credit: Barry Sloan
New leadership hoping to rebuild the beleaguered Wyandanch library is discovering surprising skeletons in its closets, including unknown bank accounts, credit cards for former trustees and a mystery storage unit.
The library, which was the last on Long Island to reopen after being closed for more than a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been mired in controversy during the past decade, including a 2014 state comptroller audit that found the board didn't provide adequate oversight to prevent "fraud, waste and abuse." Newsday is in litigation with the library over its failure to respond substantively to public record requests for spending information dating back to 2019.
Last month, custodian Kwaisi McCorvey, the nephew of former longtime trustee Nancy Holliday, was suspended with pay after his arrest for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in 2016.
With newer board members taking leadership positions, president Jordan Thomas has promised transparency, repeating a mantra at meetings that he wants everything done “legally, morally and ethically.” The philosophy has led to deep dives into the library's files.
The first discovery the board made was a library credit card for a trustee who was on the board five years ago, along with a card for a library director who quit in 2021. Another former trustee's credit card is missing, Thomas said, but "there's nothing nefarious in the statements." Trustees Ghenya Grant and Norman Sellers also had cards.
At a January meeting, Thomas said the Suffolk Cooperative Library System has advised that “trustees should never, never have credit cards” since they oversee the library’s finances. All cards have since been canceled, and the library now will have one card for the director.
A review of bills also revealed a payment due to Extra Space Storage in Huntington Station. Thomas said he was surprised to find the library has been paying for a unit there since 2013.
Trustees have not been able to gain access to the unit. The library is paying $519 per month for the space.
“I’m going to presume we needed it at that time,” said Thomas, who has been on the board since 2020. “I’m eager to see what’s inside.”
The library also rents two on-site storage pods, with one used for cleaning supplies. The other, which trustees said was damaged from vandalism and had to be forced open, revealed boxes of old paperwork, “antiquated” computer monitors, a rusty griddle and a mattress. The library is paying more than $200 per month for the pods, which date back to 2007.
The library stopped renting the vandalized pod, Thomas said, and may install a shed instead of renting a pod.
At a meeting last week, newly hired treasurer Donna Gellineau-Matone revealed that she discovered two previously unknown bank accounts with about $3,000 in them. The library is having the bank audit all accounts.
In an effort to improve operations, the board has approved numerous spending measures in the past few months. These include $22,000 for a new, more informational website, replacing “not fully-functioning” security cameras for $32,000, and swapping locks for a key fob system for about $3,700. The library is also switching payroll companies, a move that will save about $35,000.
The goal, Thomas said, is not only transparency and community and employee safety but also long-term investments that will save the library money.
“It’s not our library, it’s a community library,” Thomas recently told residents. “Hold us accountable. We were voted in by the community as trustees — you are entrusting us to do the right thing with the taxpayers’ money.”
New leadership hoping to rebuild the beleaguered Wyandanch library is discovering surprising skeletons in its closets, including unknown bank accounts, credit cards for former trustees and a mystery storage unit.
The library, which was the last on Long Island to reopen after being closed for more than a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been mired in controversy during the past decade, including a 2014 state comptroller audit that found the board didn't provide adequate oversight to prevent "fraud, waste and abuse." Newsday is in litigation with the library over its failure to respond substantively to public record requests for spending information dating back to 2019.
Last month, custodian Kwaisi McCorvey, the nephew of former longtime trustee Nancy Holliday, was suspended with pay after his arrest for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in 2016.
With newer board members taking leadership positions, president Jordan Thomas has promised transparency, repeating a mantra at meetings that he wants everything done “legally, morally and ethically.” The philosophy has led to deep dives into the library's files.
The first discovery the board made was a library credit card for a trustee who was on the board five years ago, along with a card for a library director who quit in 2021. Another former trustee's credit card is missing, Thomas said, but "there's nothing nefarious in the statements." Trustees Ghenya Grant and Norman Sellers also had cards.
At a January meeting, Thomas said the Suffolk Cooperative Library System has advised that “trustees should never, never have credit cards” since they oversee the library’s finances. All cards have since been canceled, and the library now will have one card for the director.
A review of bills also revealed a payment due to Extra Space Storage in Huntington Station. Thomas said he was surprised to find the library has been paying for a unit there since 2013.
Trustees have not been able to gain access to the unit. The library is paying $519 per month for the space.
“I’m going to presume we needed it at that time,” said Thomas, who has been on the board since 2020. “I’m eager to see what’s inside.”
The library also rents two on-site storage pods, with one used for cleaning supplies. The other, which trustees said was damaged from vandalism and had to be forced open, revealed boxes of old paperwork, “antiquated” computer monitors, a rusty griddle and a mattress. The library is paying more than $200 per month for the pods, which date back to 2007.
The library stopped renting the vandalized pod, Thomas said, and may install a shed instead of renting a pod.
At a meeting last week, newly hired treasurer Donna Gellineau-Matone revealed that she discovered two previously unknown bank accounts with about $3,000 in them. The library is having the bank audit all accounts.
In an effort to improve operations, the board has approved numerous spending measures in the past few months. These include $22,000 for a new, more informational website, replacing “not fully-functioning” security cameras for $32,000, and swapping locks for a key fob system for about $3,700. The library is also switching payroll companies, a move that will save about $35,000.
The goal, Thomas said, is not only transparency and community and employee safety but also long-term investments that will save the library money.
“It’s not our library, it’s a community library,” Thomas recently told residents. “Hold us accountable. We were voted in by the community as trustees — you are entrusting us to do the right thing with the taxpayers’ money.”
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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