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This week, the Asbury Park Sun received additional Letters to the Editor regarding the appointments of new library board members and the sudden resignation of its president Don Stine. Below are those three letters in their entirety.

Dear Editor,

I am writing about the recent changes, and outcry by the vocal minority, to the Asbury Park Library board of trustees.

In the new electronic and minimally-funded world we live in, libraries as an institution are going the way of the travel agency and video rental store.  Your advertiser, Don Stine does not realize that our city’s beautiful library was on a path to becoming a banquet hall in 10 years if everything remained business as usual.  I admire John Moore and Amy Quinn, for being proactive.

Woven into [Stine’s] advertisement in the Tri City Newspaper are most of the answers to his own questions about “why.”

Quoting Don, the library’s “seven member board has remained unchanged since 1897.”  That fact alone is more than enough reason to make adjustments.  No non-government charity board would ever allow such slow response.

Rather than attack Moore and Quinn, [Stine] should reinforce his point of view with facts and data:  Is the library’s membership growing?  Are the number of books loaned increasing?  Overall, how many in the community were served by the library in 2014?  How many programs are focused to Millennials [the future of the library]?

Whether the board of trustee believes it or not, Moore and Quinn will be remembered for trying.  They have the respect of the majority in the community for doing something.

Brush away all the needless emotion for the function-based decision to add two members to the board, and you will see three primary drivers of the issue, which are way too common in Asbury Park.  #1 People are terrified of any type of change.  #2 People want to be a big fish in a small pond and do everything they can to hold their role.  #3 People have too much time on their hands to worry about #1 and #2.

Sincerely,

Kassandra King

Asbury Park

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Dear Editor,

I am writing as a citizen vitally interested in the future of Asbury Park and concerned about the emergence of a video mocking former Library Board President and President of the Asbury Park Historical Society.

Excerpts from a recent council meeting as video recorded by APTV for public broadcast have been manipulated, edited and posted on social media depicting Don Stine in a most embarrassing way.

Whatever disagreement may be with Council this manipulation of APTV public video must be stopped.

Every citizen has the right and also the obligation to freely express their concerns publicly before the Mayor and Council.  No citizen should fear that their expression of concern will be used as a weapon for others entertainment.

Sincerely,

Johna Karpinski

Asbury Park

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Dear Editor,

I would like to respond to Don Stine’s letter/advertisement carried in a local paper last week.

Please tell Don [Stine] that I know EXACTLY how he feels, as I was subjected to the same denigrating and unprofessional conduct at the hands of Ms. Quinn and several other Board members of APTV.

After missing about half of our Board meetings, Ms. Quinn inserted herself, in concert with a close friend or two, into a personnel matter which should have been handled in a legal and transparent manner. I certainly thought that a lawyer understood the concept of “due process” but I evidently gave too much credit.

Good Luck Don – I’m sure you will find another outlet for your great energies and love of Asbury Park.

Sincerely,

John Kaplow

Founder & Ex-President, Board of Trustees

Asbury Park Cable Television Advisory Committee (APTV)

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[These letters 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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