In Wyandanch, new chapter begins at embattled library
At the Wyandanch Public Library, pictured on Saturday, the newly reorganized board is making some changes. Credit: Tom Lambui
The leaders of the long-embattled Wyandanch Public Library are embarking on a new era, with two trustees taking over prominent roles after a recent reorganization and promising to revitalize the library’s look and services.
The library has been fraught with controversy for the past decade, including when a state comptroller audit in 2014 found the five-member board didn't provide adequate oversight to prevent "fraud, waste and abuse."
New board president Jordan Thomas said amid recent changes affecting the balance of power that he wants to focus on an improved library website, along with painting and lighting changes at the facility rather than just prioritizing getting a new building.
“We are working to make some small but impactful changes,” he told Newsday.
The library has been without a full-time director for more than a year, following a more than yearlong closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was the only library on Long Island to shutter that long — a source of frustration for local residents. The board attributed the lengthy closure to HVAC issues.
Newsday previously filed numerous Freedom of Information Law requests seeking information on HVAC repairs, as well as library spending and operations, but the library hasn't provided all those records.
Newsday is currently in litigation with the library over its failure to respond substantively to those public record requests dating back to 2019.
The shake-up that is ushering in a new chapter in the library's operations began at a December reorganization meeting. The board voted to put different members in leadership roles, where they will be largely responsible for shaping the board's agenda and establishing priorities for action.
Board trustee Ghenya Grant didn't win reelection as president, marking the first time she'll be out of that role since 2018 after more than 15 years on the board.
Besides voting Thomas in as president, board members elected Katrina Crawford as vice president.
Along with board member Kisha Carter, who defeated incumbent Nancy Holliday last year, Thomas and Crawford now appear to make up the new majority on the unpaid board, according to votes cast so far. The three seem to have replaced Grant and Holliday — who along with trustee Norman Sellers, typically voted in sync — as the majority block.
The reorganized board recently hired Lindenhurst attorney Shawn Cullinane as new lead counsel.
Board members, who are in charge of a $1.95 million annual budget, also have asked consultant and Roosevelt Library director Lambert Shell to take a more active role in operations. They also are seeking additional guidance from Kevin Verbesey, Suffolk Cooperative Library System's director.
Verbesey has urged the library to search for a new director following Shadd Jamison's resignation from the role in December 2021.
“I think that all of our members believe the library should be the best it can be. How do we get there is the tough part," said Thomas, whom residents elected in 2020.
In 2019 the board fought Crawford’s election, disqualifying her from the ballot and then contending her write-in victory was null.
Crawford won a state appeal before members battled against her getting a full term and the state again ruled in her favor.
Members voted to remove trustee Judith Graham-Guerrier from the board in 2020 — a move Verbesey at the time called “extraordinarily rare."
Currently, Holliday has an appeal pending asking the state to overturn her election loss due to "irregularities and voter fraud."
Verbesey told the board in December top priorities should be ensuring bylaws and policies are laid out “in the best way to move your library forward.”
The leaders of the long-embattled Wyandanch Public Library are embarking on a new era, with two trustees taking over prominent roles after a recent reorganization and promising to revitalize the library’s look and services.
The library has been fraught with controversy for the past decade, including when a state comptroller audit in 2014 found the five-member board didn't provide adequate oversight to prevent "fraud, waste and abuse."
New board president Jordan Thomas said amid recent changes affecting the balance of power that he wants to focus on an improved library website, along with painting and lighting changes at the facility rather than just prioritizing getting a new building.
“We are working to make some small but impactful changes,” he told Newsday.
The library has been without a full-time director for more than a year, following a more than yearlong closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was the only library on Long Island to shutter that long — a source of frustration for local residents. The board attributed the lengthy closure to HVAC issues.
Newsday previously filed numerous Freedom of Information Law requests seeking information on HVAC repairs, as well as library spending and operations, but the library hasn't provided all those records.
Newsday is currently in litigation with the library over its failure to respond substantively to those public record requests dating back to 2019.
The shake-up that is ushering in a new chapter in the library's operations began at a December reorganization meeting. The board voted to put different members in leadership roles, where they will be largely responsible for shaping the board's agenda and establishing priorities for action.
Board trustee Ghenya Grant didn't win reelection as president, marking the first time she'll be out of that role since 2018 after more than 15 years on the board.
Besides voting Thomas in as president, board members elected Katrina Crawford as vice president.
Along with board member Kisha Carter, who defeated incumbent Nancy Holliday last year, Thomas and Crawford now appear to make up the new majority on the unpaid board, according to votes cast so far. The three seem to have replaced Grant and Holliday — who along with trustee Norman Sellers, typically voted in sync — as the majority block.
The reorganized board recently hired Lindenhurst attorney Shawn Cullinane as new lead counsel.
Board members, who are in charge of a $1.95 million annual budget, also have asked consultant and Roosevelt Library director Lambert Shell to take a more active role in operations. They also are seeking additional guidance from Kevin Verbesey, Suffolk Cooperative Library System's director.
Verbesey has urged the library to search for a new director following Shadd Jamison's resignation from the role in December 2021.
“I think that all of our members believe the library should be the best it can be. How do we get there is the tough part," said Thomas, whom residents elected in 2020.
In 2019 the board fought Crawford’s election, disqualifying her from the ballot and then contending her write-in victory was null.
Crawford won a state appeal before members battled against her getting a full term and the state again ruled in her favor.
Members voted to remove trustee Judith Graham-Guerrier from the board in 2020 — a move Verbesey at the time called “extraordinarily rare."
Currently, Holliday has an appeal pending asking the state to overturn her election loss due to "irregularities and voter fraud."
Verbesey told the board in December top priorities should be ensuring bylaws and policies are laid out “in the best way to move your library forward.”
Wyandanch Public Library Details
Budget: $1.95 million
Annual visits as of 2020: 27,787
Source: Wyandanch Public Library, State Department of Education Annual Report
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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