Library board head: Uncertainty remains over Wiatr appointment
Town Board appointee attends first meeting as member
By
ELIZABETH COOPER Posted Jun 17,
2010 @ 09:48 PM NEW
Edmund Wiatr Jr. sat at the table for a
meeting of the New Hartford Public Library’s board of trustees Thursday
evening. He participated in discussions, and even
instituted a new tradition — saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of
board meetings. But it’s still not clear whether he will keep
his seat. Library board President Mary DuRoss said
Thursday that she had reached out to the state Education Department for a
written opinion about whether her existing members were properly appointed. The library and town boards have been at odds
for about a month over the fact that the library board had been appointing its
own members, rather than allowing the Town Board to do so. The last time there
was town involvement was 2004, town records show. The Town Board and town Attorney Herbert
Cully contend that since library board terms are for five years, and six years
have elapsed since the town was involved, none of the existing members is
legitimate. That’s why the Town Board appointed Wiatr at
its May 26 meeting. DuRoss, however, said she had received a
verbal opinion from the Department of Education indicating that her members
were legitimate. Now, she is waiting for a formal written opinion. “However that opinion is rendered by the
state Education Department, we will abide by it,” she said. “Whatever they say,
that’s what we will do.” In the event that Wiatr remains on the board,
trustee Alfred Moretz has agreed to step down. Moretz attended the latter
portion of Thursday’s meeting. Wiatr, who is co-founder of the watchdog
group Concerned Citizens for Honest and Open Government, has been publicly
critical of the library’s management. After the meeting, he said several of the
board members had been “very cordial” to him. He asked questions about various library
financial accounts and spoke about bringing the library into better compliance
with Freedom of Information laws. There were some moments of tension, however. Early in the meeting, Wiatr and library
Director Hans Plambeck exchanged words over whether a library tote bag could be
placed in center of the meeting table because it blocked part of the view for a
camera Wiatr’s Concerned Citizens colleague Catherine Lawrence was using to
tape the meeting. The bag eventually was moved. Later, DuRoss suggested that Wiatr “slow
down” and listen more after he made several suggestions. “You think I’m being abrasive,” he said. “That’s
a matter of personal interpretation.” |
