Dery, Evangelist Seek Library Positions

Nyack Library's is approaching, one of the few times each year village residents can affect their local reading room. Five residents are seeking election to four seats.

Below are brief missives of intent from two of the candidates seeking election.

Mark Dery

As a journalist, book author, and former NYU professor, I’ve been a weekly user and strong supporter of the Nyack Library since moving to South Nyack in 1993. I believe the library is the heart of our community, a vital center of cultural and social activity.

It’s also an institution every Nyack taxpayer has a stake in: according to the Orangetown receiver of taxes, 2.75 percent of every thousand property-tax dollars we pay goes to the Nyack library. The Board of Trustees and the library management oversee a two-million-dollar budget.

Yet most of us are too busy to pay much attention to board decisions and management initiatives. Too often, I believe, decisions are made without sufficient input from experienced staffers or the community. The result is decisions such as the recent switch from the Dewey system to the “Marketplace” arrangement, which I believe has confused and frustrated many library users.

The Nyack Library and the Nyack community would benefit greatly from a voice on the board who champions transparency and community dialogue, soliciting your input on important initiatives.

That’s why I’m running for the Nyack Library Board of Trustees in the election on Monday, January 9, 2012, at the Nyack Library.

As a trustee, I'll work tirelessly to reach out to the community and to library workers, actively engaging in open-minded dialogue with motivated staff and interested patrons.

At the same time, I'll keep a close eye on your tax dollars, striving to make the Library as forward-looking yet fiscally smart as it can be.

If you have any questions, please feel free to mail me at markdery AT verizon DOT net.

And please remember to cast your vote on Monday, January 9, 2012, at the Nyack Library. It matters.

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Mary Anne Evangelist has been a resident of South Nyack and an active community member since moving here from the Bronx with her late husband, Michael Carleo, in 1976. She has served on the Orangetown Board of Assessment Review and the South Nyack Zoning Board, including many years as its chair. She volunteered as a PTA officer on every level as well as Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader as her children moved through the Nyack schools. She volunteered for many years as the cook at the Holy Sprit Café, a soup kitchen formerly housed at St. Ann’s church. Dr. Evangelist  is a member of the steering committee of Friends of the Nyacks, a member of the Friends of the Nyack Library, the Historical Society of the Nyacks, and Edward Hopper House Art Center, where she recently served as a docent for the Hopper exhibit, Prelude. She has also volunteered at the Information Desk in the Nyack Library and maintains the website for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Tappan. 

Professionally, Dr. Evangelist has been a teacher, guidance counselor, principal and Assistant Supt. of Schools for over 40 years. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor at Long Island University’s Orangeburg Campus, and is filling the position of Interim Ass’t. Supt. of Schools in Rye. She holds a BA from the College of New Rochelle, an MA from Manhattan College in Counseling, and a Ph.D. from Fordham University in Education.

"I believe that a public library should be the heart and hub of every thriving community and our library in Nyack has clearly met that expectation for me and for my family," she said. "The Nyack Library is a warm, welcoming place where, as the old TV jingle for Cheers offered, ‘…everybody knows your name’.  At the same time it has grown and evolved into a state of the art facility that comfortably reflects the technology and information needs of the 21st century."

"I would hope to make a contribution to the Nyack Library through service on Board as a result of my direct experiences with libraries as a principal; as a manager of both people and facilities; experience with budget  development and administration; and extensive work in the area of interpersonal relations. I would also commit to listening to the community so that decisions which shape the future of the Library reflect the thoughts and desires of those it serves."

"I have a favorite child’s quote that I think captures best what I value most about what the library is… and what it can be. It goes something like this" 'Books let me see the world when my mother won’t even let me cross the street.'"

"By serving on the Library Board of Trustees, I would hope to contribute to our community’s on-going ability continue to experience the world through the staff, the resources and programs of the Nyack Library."