Guilderland Library budget passes
Rowenbaum-Weisz, Ganz, Valachovic win 4-way trustee race



GUILDERLAND — The Guilderland Public Library budget, as it has throughout its history, passed handily on Tuesday.
The $2.66 million budget, up nearly 10 percent from this year’s, passed with 58 percent of the vote. "Yes" votes totaled 1,936; "no" votes totaled 1,379.

The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value for Guilderland residents is estimated at 86 cents, up from 80 cents this year.

The race for the board of trustees was novel, though, because this year it was contested — four candidates ran for three seats. In recent years, the board has had to rely on write-in candidates to fill out its ranks.

Two incumbents — President Robert Ganz and Trustee Diane Rosenbaum-Weisz — were returned to the board. A third incumbent — Treasurer James Denn — was beaten by newcomer Carroll Lynn Valachovic.

Rosenbaum-Weisz was the top vote-getter with 1,671 votes.

She was appointed to the library board last October, after coming in second the year before in a write-in campaign.

She works as director of the guidance clinic at the Parsons Child and Family Center. She is married to Richard Weisz, a lawyer and Guilderland School board member; they have two grown children.

Rosenbaum-Weisz said during her campaign that she’d like to think beyond bricks and mortar and bring the library into the community.
Tuesday night, after election results were announced, she said, "I’m pleased the library budget passed. I’m pleased the community sees it as the kind of resource we as trustees have tried to make it."

Ganz, who has been president of the library’s board for the past two years, came in a close second with 1,663 votes.

Ganz was appointed to the board in 2000 and elected in 2001. He said, during the campaign, that he is proud of initiating the Guilderland Library Foundation, which has been successful in getting grants; of chairing the committee that developed a long-range plan for the library; and of leading the library as it acquired adjacent property.

Ganz is a lawyer and he and his wife, Dorothy, have three grown children. He said he puts in about 20 hours a week as the board’s president.
Tuesday night, Ganz said that he, too, was pleased the library budget passed. "Libraries meet the needs of citizens; that’s why they’re so highly regarded," he said.

As the top two vote-getters, Ganz and Rosenbaum-Weisz will each serve a five-year term. Valachovic, who came in third, will serve a one-year term.

Valachovic, making her first run for the board, garnered 1,642 votes, coming in ahead of Denn, who received 1,554 votes.
Valachovic, a certified public accountant, said, during her campaign, "I have financial expertise that I think would be valuable to the board."

Valachovic, who is single, grew up in Guilderland and said she wants to give back to the community.

Denn, who works as the deputy director of the New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research, has been on the library board since 2001 and served as its treasurer for the last three years.

He and his wife, Jil, have two children whom he described as regular library users.

Ganz said on Tuesday night that he will be sad to see Denn, who provided five years of service, leave the board.
He also said of those elected, "I’m sure they will make excellent contributions."