Editor, Asbury Park Sun,
The facts of the AP Public Library board appointments are simple.
The City Council had an option to increase the board to 9 members, and we did so. Two highly-qualified residents expressed interest in serving on the board, and Mayor [John] Moor appointed them. We are lucky to have residents who want to get involved and have so much to offer as these two accomplished women do.
The board’s expansion and the appointments took place on the record at City Council meetings, and I made courtesy calls to Executive Director Stewart and Board President [Don] Stine, at which point they expressed no concerns.
But at its May meeting the board refused to seat the new appointees, stating that they had not been properly informed of the appointments, which is not true.
Indeed, the board’s president was covering both council meetings for a local newspaper when all of the above occurred. Giving the benefit of the doubt, however, the City Clerk sent emails confirming the appointments and asking if anything else was necessary.
But again at their June meeting, the board refused to seat the new members, stating that the appointees had not been properly “sworn in.”
That is absurd since few if any other board members were sworn in. By that point it seems to have turned into some kind of game, testing how long the Council’s decision could be defied.
Questions of paperwork and swearing in are moot, since behind the scenes there was lobbying to rescind the appointments. What an insult to the new members, both of whom are highly qualified and one of whom is Executive Director of the Bradley Beach Library.
It is impossible to imagine another city board or commission behaving this way. The library dispenses over half a million dollars of taxpayer money to provide our community with library services. The Council looks forward to the library and its board moving ahead with that mission in service of Asbury Park and its residents.
Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn
[This letter represents the opinion of its writer and is not representative of any opinion of the Asbury Park Sun staff. All readers are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor to news@asburyparksun.com for our consideration. For guidelines on letter-writing and submission, click here.]
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