The Hicksville Public Library board of trustees is asking voters to approve a $5,028,000 budget during the May 19 election. Of that, $4,432,213 will be funded by real estate taxes.
The total budget is less than it was for 2014-15, when it was $5,216,600. A house in Hicksville that has a value of $400,000 is expected to pay approximately $278.21 a year in library taxes.
In addition to the budget, residents will also vote on the open board of trustees seat. Local resident Mary D’Antonio is running against incumbent Donna Rivera-Downey.
Rivera-Downey is running for her third term on the board of trustees, after being appointed to fill a vacant seat in 2006. She is currently the board president and said she is running again because serving on the board allows her to give back to the community she grew up in.
“I’m a lifelong Hicksville resident and the library was a summer haven for me,” she said. “It was always a great place to go and I want to keep it that way. It’s a great place to go for our community and offers so much.”
She noted that in the time she’s served on the board, the library has undergone several changes, including to the children’s area, DVD sections and the addition of new technology.
“The world is more digital, so the library is much more digital too,” Rivera-Downey said. “But the heart of it is that it’s a community resource and a place you can learn through programs, opportunities and shows.”
And while Rivera-Downey said there have been improvements, there’s still room for change.
“One of the board’s major concerns is that the facility is aging and there are major repairs that are looming,” she said, noting repairs to the roof and elevator in particular. “We need to concentrate on allocating our resources wisely so we can accomplish those things.
Rivera-Downey noted the board is still trying to sell the Computer and Resource Center. If re-elected that will once again be a priority for her.
“That building continues to be underutilized even with the programs and meetings happening there,” she said. “The whole reason that building was built was because the board at that time thought more people needed access to computers. They didn’t foresee the ease with which people would have access to the Internet.”
Rivera-Downey is involved in numerous local organizations, including the Hicksville Jericho Rotary where she serves as president, Rotary International and the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island. She is currently the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Girl Scouts of Nassau County.
Challenging Rivera-Downey is Hicksville resident Mary D’Antonio, who said she is running because she thinks the library needs some major upgrades.
“Being a retiree and having time on my hands, I wanted to use the many services of our library and I found that it hasn’t changed much since…the 1980s,” she said. “I saw too many things that were wrong. I figure now I have the time so I can make suggestions and hopefully some changes.”
One of her top concerns is the inadequate parking at the library.
“Thirty years ago, I could never find parking. Going forward to now, I still can’t find parking,” she said. “I remember them talking about buying the house next door to put a parking lot there, but they renovated it and now it’s offices. We have plenty of room in the library, they don’t need a separate administration building.”
If elected, D’Antonio said she wants to see the library become more handicap accessible, a change she is hoping can be instituted with the help of grants. D’Antonio said security at the library is also lacking, saying she feels there is no one properly monitoring the security monitors.
D’Antonio has been a resident for more than 35 years and recently retired from a position as an administrative assistant to the vice president of academic affairs at SUNY Old Westbury. She received a BS in psychology in 1993 and was president of the Alumni Association for 16 years. She is involved with several organizations, including the United Way Allocation Committee, Auxiliary Services Committee at SUNY Old Westbury (where she serves as vice president), and childcare committee at SUNY Old Westbury. She was a former president of the CSEA Local 618 and is a current member of the statewide CSEA board of directors.
One major issue looming for the board is the ongoing negotiations with the CSEA. For the last four years, the bargaining unit of the CSEA and library board and their negotiator have been trying to work out a contract.
“The library board and negotiator have repeatedly made offers and negotiated in good faith and we are still at an impasse,” said Rivera-Downey. “For us, the primary issue is that we would like employees to contribute toward health insurance. Over 75 percent of the budget is going toward salaries, benefits and retirement expenses. A little bit of a contribution is what we’re asking for.”
“After four years, these people deserve a contract. And they also deserve a raise,” D’Antonio said. “My gut feeling and the fact that I’m a former CSEA member and retiree is that I would be willing to work with the union to make sure everyone comes out in a favorable way.”
Residents can vote on the library budget and library board of trustees during the Hicksville School District budget vote and trustee election on May 19, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the district’s elementary schools.
