Thank You to all who voted!

The MPL budget vote passed, 373 to 160
and the Bond Referendum passed, 372 to 164 

Congratulations to Elizabeth Costello, and Joe Montuori on their reelection, and to Nancy Di Maggio on her election, to the Board!

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Vote Tuesday, June 7th, 7 am – 9 pm at MPL!

Board of Trustee Election

6 candidates are running for 3 seats on the Board

Trustee Candidate Statements

ELIZABETH COSTELLO (incumbent)

I am a second generation “Mahopacan” and a full-time criminal defense and family law attorney with the non-profit Putnam County Legal Aid Society where I represent individuals in courts throughout Putnam County. An advocate on behalf of those struggling with addiction and other mental health issues, I am committed to strengthening the prospects for rehabilitation through the application of Drug Treatment Court principles and other alternatives to incarceration. I have also held professional positions in marketing, fundraising, and educational publishing.
I was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2016, and served as its Vice President for three years. I have also chaired the Advancement and Public Relations, the Board Development, and the Long Range Planning Committees.

NANCY DI MAGGIO

A resident of Mahopac for seven years, I am running for the Mahopac Library Board because of my interest in supporting the library to design and implement educational programs that will benefit the Mahopac community. My background in education and administration has provided me with long-range planning, grant writing, and budgeting skills, as well as collaborating with others to achieve a common goal.
I have worked in the New York City Department of Education, as a Regional Administrator of Special Education, a Network Leader, and as the Assistant Superintendent in District 30. Currently, I am a member of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, the Church of the Holy Communion in Mahopac, and the German-American Club of Peekskill.

YELENA (ALONA) HARMAN

I grew up in Carmel and chose to reside in the area to raise my family. I think it’s very important to give back to your community, and I look to Mahopac Library as a strong community anchor. My children have attended library programs ever since they were babies, learning to read, to love music and art, and to enjoy many other things the library has to offer. Now that they are older, I want to play an active role in the leadership of the library.
I am interested in serving on the Finance and/or Long Range Planning committees as I believe my experience with large-scale projects, and multi-year strategic planning in the healthcare sector, would be a strong fit. I have managed multi-million dollar projects, specifically related to budgeting and prioritization of workflow, for the last 15 years. Currently, I am employed as Senior Director Product Owner at Evernorth, a health care opportunity company.

JOSEPH MONTUORI (Incumbent)

I’m a retired high school teacher, Mahopac resident since 1989, member of the League of Women Voters, and founder of two local nonprofits: Kirk Lake Watershed Association, and Sustainable Putnam, an organization I lead as President.
As a current Trustee, I’ve applied the skills I bring as an educator and active community member, as well as the knowledge I’ve gained from Library Trustee workshops. For example, I worked to improve our facility’s energy efficiency, assisted in personnel review and recognition of our staff, and created an Orientation Guide to help new Trustees get up to speed quickly. As a parent of three Mahopac school graduates, my family and I have long appreciated our incredible library. I want to ensure that it remains a wonderful community resource for years to come.

JOHN NICOLAIS

While being interviewed on Book TV, Cal Thomas, the columnist, was asked what he read on a daily basis. His immediate response was “the Bible and the New York Times because I want to know what each side is planning.” One of the main functions of a library is to have material available from all sides so that patrons can draw their own conclusion. It is my goal to be sure all sides have equal voices.
The terms inclusion and diversity are very popular these days. However, it does not mean preferential treatment of these views nor the exclusion of views that question them. As the ALA (American Library Society) Bill of Rights states: “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.”
On a personal note, I have lived in Mahopac for over thirty years. I have served on the Mahopac School District Health Advisory Committee, a year on the Middle school Parent Teacher Advisory Committee, Journal News Reader panel, MSA coach, and Sunday school teacher. I received a B.A. in history from N.Y.U. and an MBA in financial management from Pace University.

KELLY PUCCIO

I am looking forward to bringing awareness to the wonderful things the Mahopac Library offers to the community. One of the town’s greatest assets, I hope to contribute to the future of the library by serving on the Finance, Board Development, or Advancement and Public Relations committees.
A Mahopac resident for 16 years, I have been an active member of the Lake Mahopac Rotary, Putnam CAP, The Mahopac Carmel Chamber of Commerce, and Community Cares. As a library user, I have taken yoga classes and checked out museum passes; my children have attended early literacy programs where they learned to love reading.

Budget Vote

EXPENDITURES	2021-2022	2022-2023
Personnel	1,375,000	1,475,000
Payroll taxes & benefits	400,000	425,000
Library materials	240,300	240,300
Supplies	30,000	29,500
Staff development	8,287	9,787
Telephone	11,000	11,000
Internet	9,000	9,000
Utilities	89,500	89,500
Dues	3,000	3,000
Building repairs & maintenance	85,000	85,000
Building contracts	55,000	55,000
Equipment contracts	17,500	17,500
Library programming	10,000	10,000
Professional fees	67,000	67,000
Printing, publicity & postage	16,065	22,065
Election & legal notices	6,000	6,000
Computer maintenance contract	55,000	45,000
Insurance	75,000	78,000
Furniture, fixtures & equipment	25,000	25,000
Capital improvements	20,000	25,000
Bond repayment	0	0
Transfer to Capital Reserve Account	412,698	128,698
TOTAL EXPENDITURES	3,010,350	3,110,350
REVENUES
Fines, fees & gifts	20,000	20,000
Interest income	5,000	5,000
Grants	7,500	7,500
Town of Carmel	60,000	60,000
Putnam County	103,141	103,141
Previously collected tax levy	0	100,000
TOTAL REVENUES	195,641	295,641
AMOUNT TO BE RAISED BY TAXES	2,814,709	2,814,709

BOND REFERENDUM

BOND PROPOSITION RESOLVED:

• a) That the Board of Trustees of the Mahopac Public Library, Mahopac, New York (the “Library”), is hereby authorized to reconstruct, rehabilitate and construct other improvements to the Mahopac Public Library, as substantially described in a plan prepared by the Library with the assistance of Tetra-Tech, and to expend therefor an amount not to exceed $3,154,283;
• (b) that a tax is hereby voted in the amount of not to exceed $3,154,283 to pay said cost, such tax to be levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by the Mahopac Central School District Board of Education; and
• (c) that in anticipation of such tax, bonds of the School District are hereby authorized to be issued in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $3,154,283, and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on said bonds as the same shall become due and payable.

Read the full Board of Trustees Election and Budget Vote Newsletter.