Library district has three seats up for re-election
There are three seats up for election on the Consolidated Free Library District’s Board of Trustees.
The library taxing district comprises the Community Library Network, which has eight branches including libraries in Post Falls, Hayden, Athol, Spirit Lake, Rathdrum, Harrison and Pinehurst and a bookmobile. Incumbents Judy Centa Meyer and Regina McCrea are being challenged by Jason Ball in a race for two six-year terms. The two highest vote-getters will win the seats.
Carl Gidlund, also an incumbent, is being challenged for his four-year seat by Robert Fish.
Meyer, a longtime Hayden resident who has lived in the library district for 40 years, said being on the library board is an extension of her strong interest in education. She serves on the boards of North Idaho College and Idaho Public Television. Meyer is also on the Idaho Business for Education Board where she serves as vice-chair for North Idaho.
With husband Steve Meyer, she owns Parkwood Business Properties, a commercial real estate development company with diverse holdings totaling 1.5 million square feet.
“I have served on the library board through good times and hard times. We have seen the library grow from one branch to eight. During that time circulation went from 163,000 items per year to 1.2 million,” Meyer said.
The library district is important, Meyer said, because libraries provide access to information that is cost-effective and accurate, and the Community Library Network continues to meet that demand.
“With the use of technology, folks who can’t afford to have their own access can come to our library and use our computers and wifi systems,” Meyer said.
The top issues facing the library trustees, per Meyer, include expanding children’s programs, continued expansion of electronic services and careful cost scrutiny to balance service demands with tax revenue.
Regina McCrea, an attorney who lives in Post Falls and has a practice in Hayden, has served on the library board by appointment since September 2016.
“I applied for this volunteer position and am seeking re-election because I have always been a patron of libraries and believe in their mission and the role they play in promoting literacy and community access to free materials through both physical and digital collections,” McCrea said. “Also, it is important to me as an attorney to find meaningful ways outside of practicing law to give back to the community.”
McCrea also serves on the board of the Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance and is a member of Coeur d’Alene Women in Business.
She said her education, training and experience as an attorney make her well-suited to serve on the library district board. McCrea said she also brings a commitment to the taxpayers of the district to understand, review, and approve the library’s operating budget, along with concern for the continued viability and relevancy of libraries in an ever-increasing era of digital content.
“I want to help the library flourish and evolve to continue meeting the needs of community members,” McCrea said. “As a mom to two young children and being the youngest trustee presently on the board, I bring a fresh perspective and am particularly interested in the ways the library is helping children achieve literacy.”
Jason Ball, a resident of the library district since 2007, works for Brookdale Senior Living Solutions as director of community relations. His career focus has been in public relations and marketing with business management experience. He has extensive volunteer and board experience with community organizations. He currently serves as Eagle Board committee chairman for Boy Scouts of America; co-chair of Gem Community Citizens Project Group, which comprises Hayden Senior Center, Jumpin’ Beans Mobile Food Bank and Hayden Lake Marathon; information technology specialist with the Medical Reserve Corps; secretary and webmaster for the proposed Hayden Canyon Charter School; advisory board of Integrated Interventions, LLC; and a member of the Keeping Children Safe Citizen’s Panel for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. He said he sees maintaining the library district’s financial stability without negatively affecting the tax rate as one of the top issues facing the library board. Maintaining and expanding technology to provide access to the library’s resources is another priority, as is recruiting and retaining good employees.
“I’m a solutionist, collaborator, effective leader, and visionary,” Ball said. “In my role as chairman of the board for Gem Community Citizens Project Group, I collaborated with the board to turn it around financially. Part of this involved expansion efforts, coming up with signature fundraising events, and securing grant funding. I will work to ensure that our libraries in Hayden, Rathdrum, Athol and Post Falls are progressive and sustainable.”
Gidlund is a Hayden Veterans’ Commission Commissioner and volunteers for Hospice of North Idaho. A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, he is also retired from the U.S. Forest Service. A Hayden Lake resident, he was selected as Hayden’s Citizen of the Year and Veteran of the Year in 2012. He was not available for comment.
Fish, a two-year resident of the district, graduated from San Diego State with a degree in business administration. He was elected to two Republican Central Committees in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, was president of two Rotary Clubs and involved with other community organizations including two chambers of commerce.
Fish said, if elected, he intends to make sure the taxpayers’ money is well spent, that the district is well-managed, and it provides more volunteer opportunities to the district’s retired population.
Polls will be open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.