BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg Library Director Penny Kerfien and former library board member Ann Lesperance called on Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly to fill vacancies on the library board at the June 14 meeting.

However, Skelly says he is “in no hurry” to make the appointments. He said he intends to appoint people who share his vision in expanding services and operating hours at the library and  believes the library is not providing the level of services it should for the money it costs taxpayers.

The contentious relationship between the mayor and the library has been growing since the mayor publicly expressed concerns about the management of the library. He made it clear that he was opposed to funding the library through a vote attached to the school district budget.

While the mayor has stated he would support funding the library, he said major changes in operations would be needed before the city would invest.

At the crux of Monday’s complaints from Lesperance and Kerfien is the mayor’s delays in appointing members to the board.

Kerfien called on the mayor to provide the library with specific reasons why the appointments had not been made by June 18.

Lesperance sought answers as well.

“I was appointed to the Library Board by the previous city council. My appointment was scheduled to end on Dec 31, 2020. On Dec 17, 2020, Mr. Jellie was informed of my willingness to be reappointed for a five-year term,” Lesperance told city council in public session Monday.

“The city council voted on Dec 13, 2020 to extend appointments that ended Dec 31 until Jan 31, 2021, to allow the council time to review appointments. The council approved appointments on Jan 11, Jan 25, and Feb 8, 2021. None of these were for the Library Board. The council did not address the listed agenda item of appointments on Feb 22, March 8, April 12, April 26, and May 10, 2021. May 10 is the last posted notes for regular council meetings,” she said.

“At the April 26 meeting, a discussion under old business, reaffirmed that Mayor Skelly is responsible for Library Board of Trustee appointments. Mr. Jellie stated that five applicants were available. This is two applicants that responded to recruitment by the Library Board, myself and two additional applicants. Mr. Jellie stated these names would be sent to Mayor Skelly.”

Lesperance said Mayor Skelly stated he “would not simply appoint individuals recommended by the Library Board of Trustees.”

Lesperance also said that since Jan. 31, Skelly has had responsibility of appointing three trustees to the Library Board and that he has had at least five applications since April. 

“As of today, no appointments have been made,” she said at the meeting. 

Lesperance was critical of the mayor’s comments that the board needs new leadership in his decision not to appoint the new leaders.

“Mayor Skelly, you have not completed your assigned job responsibility. You have failed to make the appointments that will allow our board to be at full strength. You have denied us the ability to get new viewpoints and advance new ideas,” Lesperance said. “It has been over four months. Be accountable Mayor Skelly, make the effort, make the difficult decision to appoint trustees to the Ogdensburg Public Library.”

However in an interview Wednesday, the mayor says it’s the library that’s failing to do its job.

“If the library administration was doing its job and were open more than 37.5 hours a week, it would be different. They got $350,000 from the vote and they got $160,000 from us. That’s a lot of money to spend to be open less than 40 hours per week,” he said.

Skelly went on to criticize the library board for approving retirement benefits for employees in 2019 that he says created $135,000 in annual legacy costs.

“How is that good for the library? How does that help the taxpayers? The reason I’m not making the the appointments they are suggesting is because I want a different mindset there. I want people who are going to push the library in a direction to provide a better value and not burden taxpayers while cutting services,” he said.

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