BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Can the Massena town board add two positions to the Massena Public Library's Board of Trustees?

That question was raised during the town board meeting on June 26, when town board members moved forward with a resolution to add the positions by a 4-1 vote. Board Member Ray Lancto abstained, saying he wanted to further review the documentation before making the decision.

Library Board President Joseph Savoca said the town board did not have the authority to add the positions, telling the town board that the resolution must go to the New York State Board of Regents, who would then have to approve the resolution as an amendment to the library's charter.

"It’s not in the town council’s area to make that change on the number of seats on the library board," he said during the meeting.

Savoca criticized the town board, saying they should have spoken to library officials before adding the positions.

Town Supervisor Sue Bellor said she and the board were given a letter from the library board on May 21, shortly after the library's attempt to transition to a school district library was thwarted by voters by a nearly 2-1 margin.

Bellor read the letter, which stated the library board looked forward to working with the town while exploring options to adequately fund the library.

According to Bellor, town board members reviewed the library board's May minutes and decided to move forward with the vote, saying they thought they were "helping out" the library.

"You’re going to have all these new committees and you have five people,” Bellor said.

Bellor said after seeing so many committees added, the town board thought it was "a really good idea" to add two more board members to spread out the work on the numerous committees.

"I guess I'm confused," she said.

Had the vote passed in May the library board would have been expanded to seven members, up from the current five.

Savoca argued that the library board did not have standing committees but added that any individual who wanted to be on a committee could do so, whether they are a library trustee or not.

Bellor said she had received a number of emails and phone calls from residents who said they would gladly sit on the library board, giving further reason to add the positions.

Former library director Elaine Dunne, who now works with the Friends of the Library fundraising organization, said the library had sought legal advice prior to the meeting.

She told town officials that the library's attorney said the vote could not proceed because the charter cannot be opened without the library board pushing for it.

"Well we have a lawyer saying something different," Town Board Member Adrian Taraska shot back.

Dunne implored the town board to not vote, saying if they did it would create a "very dangerous precedent when you start adding people to boards, particularly libraries."

Taraska took exception to Dunne's comment, saying it was the library board's idea to have two additional positions added.

"I was at your meeting. You wanted the positions added," he said.

"It wasn't approved," Savoca said.

Dunne said the entire process would involve legal fees to open and eventually change the charter of the library.

"Once again, I’m very serious. To add members to a standing board without the consultation of the board is a serious precedent," she told the town board.

Dunne used the term "meddling" to describe the town's actions, saying the precedent that would be created was "very dangerous."  

Bellor and Dunne engaged in a brief tit-for-tat, with Dunne alleging "score settling" as one of the town board's reasons for moving forward with the vote in spite of library officials objecting.

Despite objections, Bellor and town board members went ahead with the vote after Town Attorney Eric Gustafson said he had no objections to the plan.

"I certainly don’t think there’s any harm in you guys having the ability to establish those two new positions and fill them as we need them,” Gustafson said.

Savoca reiterated his position, saying neither the library board, nor the town board could independently add board members to the library.

"It has to go through the proper process to petition the Board of Regents to make the change. I have no plans to do that," Savoca said.

Despite library officials objecting, the town board moved forward with the vote after Deputy Supervisor Pat Facteau and Board Member Kristy Baker-Dubray stood by their motions to move forward with the resolution.

Though the positions were added, the town did not nominate new library board members for the two positions.