BETHLEHEM — To help the Bethlehem Public Library navigate the outcome of the overwhelming defeat of its $37 million proposed capital project last winter, four candidates are vying for two seats of the library’s board of trustees. 

The seats come with a five-year term on the seven-member board. 

The candidates are incumbent board member Laura DiBetta, retired educator Anne Moore, science journalist Jill Adams, and massage therapist Michelle Sanders. 

Voting will take place on May 20 at the Bethlehem Central High School, where residents will also cast their vote for the library’s $5.2 million proposed budget, with a 2.61-percent tax increase. 

Laura DiBetta

Laura DiBetta has served on the Bethlehem Public Library for the past year-and-a-half, having been picked to fill a vacancy. 

She has spent eight years so far as the director of outdoor recreation at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, where, at a meet-the-candidates night hosted by the library, she said she does “everything from communications to event planning to policy development, and also working on multi-million-dollar public projects, from design through construction and engaging with many different stakeholders.”

DiBetta said her experience on the library board gives her direct insight into the problems facing the library, but highlighted what she says is “one of the most important roles for trustees,” which is protecting the First Amendment. 

Under the administration of President Donald Trump, she said, “We can expect to see increased pressure to censor programs and ban books here, but trustees take an oath to uphold the Constitution. That includes protecting speech we may not agree with, and I promise to do that.” 

On the issue of the failed capital project proposal, DiBetta told The Enterprise that she supports the current approach of “[moving] forward with addressing critical maintenance needs, such as the boiler replacement and asbestos removal, using reserve funds while continuing the discussion of long-term improvements and how we can improve spaces for the public but at a much more reasonable cost.”

As an example, she said she’d like to make “a more defined and inviting space for teens, and improvements to the children’s space.” 

DiBetta said at the candidates night that, although she came to the board somewhat late in the process, she “dove right in” and was able to take the defeat as a “learning experience.”

“I heard the community clearly and understand we have some work to do as a board, so some of my priorities moving forward are to work with the board, staff, and residents to make sure that we are addressing critical maintenance needs while being fiscally responsible, that we are communicating frequently and transparently with the community, and developing greater opportunities for the public to engage with the board.” 

Michelle Sanders

Michelle Sanders is a licensed massage therapist and the co-owner of Breathe Massage Therapy in Delmar. She said at the candidates night that she has experience creating and implementing budgets, which will be “imperative” in the current political environment, when alternative funding sources may be required to plug holes left by federal cuts. 

“Through my volunteer work and growing a successful business in Bethlehem, I have the unique benefit of knowing so many different people and having an understanding of their concerns and expectations,” she said. 

Sanders also highlighted the need to resist censorship of library materials, programs, and services. 

“More than ever, it is important to uphold the values of our public libraries, open access, equal opportunity, and community building,” she said. 

She could not be reached by The Enterprise for further comment. 

Anne Moore

Anne Moore is a retired educator and currently an ambassador for the New York State United Teachers Retiree Council 10, and a liaison between NYSUT and the Shenendehowa School District.

Moore was an opponent of the proposed capital project, telling The Enterprise that as a 35-year resident of Bethlehem, she has watched the library “progressively try to waste more money over that period of time.”

She said that projects like this have been put up multiple times and are routinely voted down over the costs. 

“But what no one ever seems to mind is the cost of putting these things up for a vote, the cost of hiring people to design things,” Moore said. 

But, while she was against the proposal and its cost, she was not necessarily against the specific projects, saying that some elements are “undoubtedly needed in the town,” but would be better handled by the town board or some other entity. 

“The other thing,” Moore said, “is, whether people realize it or not, we have a lot of retirees in this town … who don’t make a lot of money. They may own their houses, but a lot of them are living pretty much only on Social Security.”

She said the tax increase “would have caused some people to have to move out of their houses.” 

Moore suggested to The Enterprise that as a board member, she would focus less on expanding the library’s role in the community to new areas, and instead on reinforcing what libraries have traditionally offered: a wide range of high-quality materials and services. 

In attending board meetings, she said she heard adults complain that there was “nothing for [them] in this library.” 

Moore said she thinks libraries are an important source of both information and entertainment. 

“You need to have books and documents that allow your imagination to take you places …,” she said. “We need to focus on that core piece of, ‘How do we help create educated, knowledgeable citizens in the Bethlehem School District so that they can go on and be successful in life?’” 

Jill Adams

Jill Adams is an independent science journalist following a career in scientific research. She also has organizational experience having served on the board of the National Association of Science Writers as president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary — each for two years. 

Adams says her background in journalism gives her experience in fact-finding, identifying expertise, drawing conclusions, and communication, and that her background on the NASW board developed her “capacity to listen, collaborate, and build consensus.” 

She told The Enterprise that she supported the capital project as a resident because she “love[s] the library,” and “trusted the information that the 50-year-old building was in dire need of maintenance, updates, and improvements.”

However, Adams said, “I think it is very clear to everyone in the community that the proposal was too expensive and that the board, with or without me, must work smarter to find cost-efficient and creative solutions to address the various challenges.”

She said the “larger proposal is dead,” but thinks the library should continue with “necessary projects” like replacing the building’s boiler (a budget item), along with “overdue refurbishing, such as replacing the old carpeting, a move that will also allow rethinking the interior space of the library, such as rearranging bookshelves to achieve goals such as defining children and teen spaces and promoting a welcoming feel.”

Adams said during the candidates night that she was “dismayed by some of the negativity I’ve heard about the library, especially in the wake of the building-proposal vote.” 

“I know our library faces challenges,” she said. “The costs of maintaining the building and the collections, issues around free speech and staying responsive to the many constituents of our community. I would love to have your vote so I can work with my fellow board members to meet those challenges.”