Changes continue for New Hartford library board
One week after being replaced by town, Cunningham reappointed
By
COURTNEY POTTS Posted Nov 09,
2010 @ 09:25 PM Last update Nov
09, 2010 @ 09:42 PM NEW
A familiar face was reappointed to the New
Hartford Public Library board of trustees Tuesday one week after he lost his
position during an ongoing power struggle between the board and the town. Former board Treasurer Earl Cunningham, who
also is the treasurer for the Cunningham – who was first appointed to the
library board in 1994 – will now serve until Dec. 31, 2014, according to town
documents. Before the town replaced him on the board, he had been scheduled to
serve only until the end of 2013. He also was reappointed Tuesday, again 8-1,
as treasurer for the remainder of 2010. New officers for 2011 will be elected
at the board’s Nov. 17 meeting, but board President Mary DuRoss said she wasn’t
comfortable leaving that position vacant even temporarily. “It’s critical when a treasurer is gone,”
DuRoss said during the meeting. Bonsted did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, and
the reason for his resignation could not be learned. Background The New Hartford library board experienced
unprecedented upheaval earlier this year after town officials realized the
library board had been appointing its own members for years rather than having
the Town Board select them, as required by its bylaws. After a brief legal battle between the two
sides, an agreement was reached whereby the town officially reappointed nine of
the existing 11 library board members on Sept. 8, but replaced two – James
Kirkpatrick and Alfred Moretz – with new recruits. Those appointees were Edmund
Wiatr Jr., and Virginia Emmert. Cunningham and former board member Peter
Rayhill lost their positions, however, after both failed to be sworn in by the
town clerk in a timely manner, attorney Herb Cully said. “Two of the trustees that were appointed did
not file their oath with the town clerk, and if you fail to do that, then the
position is vacant; you never ended up taking the position,” Cully said. The library board, however, could replace
Bonsted for the remainder of his term without the town’s approval. More new members At its Nov. 3 meeting, the Town Board
appointed financial advisor John Kalil Jr., 40, and retired GE manager John
Klein, 80, to fill those positions instead. Kalil, a Republican, lost in a 2009
primary for town supervisor against current Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski. All of the new board members were present at
Tuesday’s meeting, with the exception of Emmert, who was unable to attend. Wiatr was the sole dissenter to both
Cunningham’s appointment and his return to the treasurer’s position. “I think we need somebody with a much more
vibrant background in accounting,” said Wiatr, who works in finance and is
co-founder of watchdog group Concerned Citizens for Honest and Open Government.
“Not as an individual, but as someone entrusted with the library’s finances, I
think we need someone else.” Several board members, including DuRoss and
Linda Romano were quick to support Cunningham, however, with the latter calling
him “a very able steward” of the library’s accounts. ‘Stability issues’ Wiatr also raised questions about DuRoss’
decision to appoint Cunningham at a special meeting rather than waiting one
week for the regularly scheduled gathering, but those concerns were not shared
by other board members, who almost immediately moved to adjourn the meeting
rather than discussing the issue. After the meeting, DuRoss said tension
between some board members is a direct result of the changes made by the town
this year. “The town has put on so many new members in
2½ months that it creates real stability issues for us,” she said. “Some people
think it’s something personal. It isn’t.” New Hartford Library
board of trustees
The following is a current list of
members for the New Hartford Public Library board of trustees as of Tuesday,
Nov. 9, 2010. All members' terms expire on Dec. 31 of the year listed next to
their name. Mary DuRoss, 2014 Earl Cunningham, 2014 Edmund Wiatr Jr., 2014 John Kalil Jr., 2013 Linda Romano, 2013 Connie Stephens, 2013 Virginia Emmert, 2012 John Klein, 2011 Susan Blatt, 2011 Kevin Kelly, 2010 Sheldon Storrier, 2010 Copyright 2010 The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, New York.
Some rights reserved |
