Politics & Government

Three Board of Trustees Seats Up For Grabs in Election on Jan. 19

The Port Jefferson Library Board has three open seats with six candidates running.

Six candidates are running for three open seats on the Port Jefferson Library Board of Trustees in an election set for this Wednesday, Jan. 19.

The open seats consist of five-year terms being vacated by current board members, Clifford Dittrich and Dr. Wolf Schäfer, both of whom are not seeking reelection after serving on the board for ten years. The last seat is a one-year term that was vacated in May, 2009 and never filled.

In order to be eligible to vote in the election you need to be at least 18 years old, a cardholder in good standing at Port Jefferson Free Library Association and a resident of Port Jefferson School District #6. Voting will take place by paper ballot at the library in the adult reading room from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan 19.

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The two candidates with the most votes will fill the open five-year term seats and the third place candidate will take on the one-year term seat. The first two positions for the five-year term will be seated at the Feb. 28 library board meeting. The third place candidate taking the one-year term will be completed in Jan. 2012. At that time the board member will have to run again for a full five year term, which according to a library representative, is the only seat scheduled to be up for election next year.

Tonight there will be an informal at 7 p.m. The public can come to the downstairs in the library meeting room to see all six candidates in person.

Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Below are descriptions of each candidate running for the board of trustees provided to Patch by the Port Jefferson Library.

Ronald Ira Cohen

Ronald Ira Cohen is a life-long resident of Port Jefferson and a frequent user of the library. His objective in becoming a Library Trustee is to utilize his social work back- ground to enhance the community-building potential of this valuable Village resource. It is Ronald Cohen’s goal to advocate for certain changes that many residents in the community would like to see. His overall goal would be to make the library a more comfort- able place for patrons to be in, as well as to create/enhance its program offerings.

Adam DeWitt

Adam DeWitt has lived in Port Jefferson for four years with his two children and his wife, who has been a resident of Port Jefferson for over 25 years. Adam wishes to be a Trustee of the library for two reasons. He is a former employee of the Library (for over 7 years) having worked in the Children’s Room. It was these experiences that led him to his current career as a school administrator. Secondly, he sees the love that his children have for the library. You can find them checking out materials, and perusing the stacks at night. He would like to get involved in making sure that the quality that currently exists at the library is maintained. He seeks to be a part of a challenging, growth-oriented, and progressive Library.

Stephen Doone

Stephen M. Doone is a member of the Library and a resident of the Village of Port Jefferson. He feels it is important that the Library serve the needs of its patrons. He is interested in the future growth of our Library, and hopes to play a part in the planning for its future. He has been excited by recent developments, including the Teen Center. Making our Library visible as a thriving entity in our community should be a priority, and he hopes to assist in that goal. He has extensive board experience, and can contribute through his skills in working with the disabled, as well as professional abilities in the area of Information Technology.

Harriet Z. Martin

Harriet Martin is currently a member of the Friends of the Port Jefferson Free Library and volunteers her time at the Friends’ Book Store weekly. Harriet, a retired Senior Librarian, was employed at Brookhaven National Lab and graduated from Long Island University CW Post with her Master’s in Library Science. Harriet is active with the SUNY Stony Brook Roundtable and is currently an active member of BNL’s Retired Employee Association. Her proudest achievement at BNL was the founding of BNL Women in Science, an organization still going strong today and considered part of BNL’s history. She states that her present occupations seem to be a continuation of the interest she has always had in books, people and libraries, and hopes to make a positive contribution as a Library Trustee.

Tracey J. Stapleton Esq.

Tracey J. Stapleton has had the pleasure of calling the Village of Port Jefferson her home for the past 17 years. She and her family have come to love the Village and all it has to offer, including the Library. Tracy has a BA degree in Criminal Justice from LIU-CW Post and received her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Touro Law School. She has always been active in both the PTA and PTSO. She is currently a board member on the PJ zoning board of appeals and a member of the Port Jefferson Historical Society. Tracy is a practicing attorney currently working from her home as well as being an associate at a law office in Smithtown. Tracey feels in these uncertain economic times and with her legal background and fund-raising abilities, she is in a unique position to help find new ways to develop and support library programs and services.

Laura Hill Timpanaro

Laura Hill Timpanaro feels that this is an important time of growth for the Library. With the acquisition of the new facility on Thompson Street as well as strong technology initiatives, she believes the Library and community would be best served with a trustee who has an in depth knowledge of youth, marketing and technology. In the past she has brought ideas to market for Fortune 500 companies as well as offered free marketing services to local entities. She has educated youth, acted as a program instructor at the library and has chaired programs at the local school. She has written novels and enjoyed the library as an adult patron and a mother. She would like to offer her skills in communication, education, technology innovation and promotion to the Library. Laura feels her experience and passion for the library makes her an ideal candidate for the position of Trustee.


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