2 Library Board Members Lose Seats

2 library board members lose seats

Incumbent Murphy, Kincaid, Greene, Powers elected

BY SIMONE M. SEBASTIAN

News Staff Reporter

Two incumbents lost their seats on the Ann Arbor District Library Board in Monday night’s election - one by a three-vote margin.

Connie Greene, William Kincaid, and incumbent Barbara Murphy were elected to the board from among six candidates for four-year terms. Connie Powers, who has been a resident of Ann Arbor for two months, was elected from among three candidates to finish out the last two years of former board member Carol Hollenshead’s term. Hollenshead resigned.

Ruth Winter, who was president of the board, lost by three votes. Incumbent Sandra White also was not re-elected.

Winter said she’s confident the library will continue on a good path despite her absence.

“The new branch will still be built and the contracts will still be signed,” said Winter of the labor contract being negotiated for staff. Ground was broken on the new Malletts Creek Branch on Eisenhower Parkway in May.

“These things will be done no matter who is on the board this term,” Winter said. “All of the board members are very capable.”

Kincaid, who got three more votes than Winter, said he is looking forward to improving the library, of which he has been an avid patron. He said the most pressing issue for the new term will be to wrap up the library’s labor negotiations. “The first item of business must be settling the labor contract,” Kincaid said. “Anything else would not be appropriate as an item of business until then. There has been considerable inequity in how that issue has been handled.”

Barbara Murphy, who just joined the board in December, agrees that the labor contract will be one of the largest issues that will face the board this year. She added that keeping the library’s finances stable and dealing with a growing number of technological resources will also occupy most of the board’s time.

“When I was a little girl, you went to the library to get a book. Now you can get a video, a Web page, Internet access,” Murphy said. “How our finances will be allocated to all of these resources will be interesting. ... I’m not sure I have a stance on the issue, but it has to be discussed.”

Greene and Powers could not be reached for comment Monday evening after the election results were announced.

Contact Simone Sebastian (734) 994-6818 or at ssebastian@annarbornews.com