On Wednesday, December 8th, 2021, Piermont voters will be asked to elect three trustees for the Dennis P. McHugh Piermont Public Library. The vote will take place at the Library, 25 Flywheel Park West. Polls will be open from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Voting will take place in the library foyer and follow Covid social distancing protocols with a mask requirement.
At present there are three known candidates for three trustee positions*:
- Mitchell Eiss, a retired financial services executive, who is seeking a second term.
- Len Hunt, a local building contractor, who is seeking a second term.
- Cara Stepanian, a lifelong educator, who is seeking a third term.
Among the trustee candidates, Eiss has been a resident of Rockland County for 18 years and of Piermont for 5 years. He retired from the financial services industry after a thirty-year career. Hunt has been a Piermont resident for 51 years. He has owned Rockland County Home Improvement for 32 years. Stepanian has lived in Piermont for 13 years. She has taught literature and writing at both college and high school levels.
Voters will be asked to approve an increase to the annual Piermont Library tax levy from $280,500 to $290,000. This represents a 3.39% increase or an average annual tax increase of $8.49 for the
average Piermont taxpayer. The last time the Library sought an increase was in 2014. The Fiscal Year 2023 total budget starting July 1, 2022 is $394,300.
This increased funding will help pay for costs associated with live and virtual programming, additional cleaning services, and existing library services including the purchase of new releases of adult and children’s books, movies, music as well as e-books, digital audiobooks and downloadable music services.
Despite the COVID pandemic’s many challenges, the Library has continued to serve the Piermont community through its resources, curbside offerings, and enhanced virtual programming. The Library continues to seek new ways to serve our patrons and welcomes any ideas the public may have. While we hope that a return to normalcy grows closer, we are prepared to continue providing all that we can to our community.
As the Library moves toward a full re-opening, we plan to offer our wide range of programs for toddlers and older children, a monthly free film showing, exhibits by local artists, book talks, game nights, local history exhibits, student art exhibitions, concerts, cultural events, adult summer reading programs, mah-jongg and canasta groups. Information about the library, its services and the election is available at www.piermontlibrary.org.
Library Activity Statistics, 2020-2021
- Of 2,540 Piermont residents 1,371 hold library cards
- 265 programs offered with a total of 1,870 people attending.
- 12,594 holdings circulated (7,697 physical items and 4,897 e-books, digital audiobooks and other digital content)
- 2,281 visitors to the library
- 1,046 curbside pickups of library materials
*Any registered Piermont voter may run for election as a trustee. Potential candidates are required to submit a petition signed by twenty-five eligible Piermont voters. Blank petitions are available at the Library and must be returned to the Library by November 24th, 2021.