Westhampton Library employees erupted with cheers and applause at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 as a tally of paper ballots showed they had voted to organize a union by a 31-3 margin. It’s part of a revolt against the tight-lipped regime of Mayor Maria Moore.

Residents had administered a 25-minute tongue-lashing to Moore and other

WHB Village trustees at their meeting Aug. 6, winning a “perhaps” promise of a public meeting by officials on the subject of an eruv Jewish religious boundary being proposed for WHB.

WHB board membersWHB board members Jennifer Mendelson, Marthe-Ann Betjemann, Karen Andrews, Joan Levan, and June Sellin. Photos: Debbie Giammarco

We doubt if her statement is legally binding but it’s morally-binding: “Perhaps it would be more helpful to the community to hear it at a meeting, to have an update to the extent possible,” she told the Aug. 6 meeting. The statement is at the end of a transcript of the meeting.

Moore, who resigned from the library board last week, is referring to demands by Arnold Sheiffer, chairman of Jewish People for the Betterment of WHB, and others, for more communication on the eruv issue.

Synagogue Rabbi May Have Resigned

The initiator of the WHB eruv, Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Hampton Synagogue, has resigned at the request of the board to become a real estate broker in Israel, according to a report in failedmessiah.com. He founded the Synagogue in 1990. Tabletmag.com published a 5,822-word profile of Rabbie Schneier in 2011.

Failedmessiah has been unable to obtain confirmation of the report, published on July 12, despite phone calls and emails to Rabbi Schneier, his associates and employees.

The Hampton Synagogue website continues to list Rabbi Schneier as its leader. The site as of Aug. 23 said “The Eruv Is Up,” meaning that needed lechi markers are in place on utility poles in WHB. Worshipers going to and from the Synagogue on Aug. 22 carried objects and pushed baby carriages and wheelchairs, indicating their belief that the eruv meets all specifications.

A videotape of the Aug. 6 meeting is not only on the WHB website, but is also one of the municipal government videos airing on local channel 22.

The 45-minute WHB video aired at 6 p.m. Aug. 22 and was repeated at 6:45 a.m. Aug. 23. Such airings should be noted on the WHB website.

Library Staff Joyous and Angry

Twenty library staffers were present Aug. 21 as Susan Hurley of the National Labor Relations Board slowly counted out the paper ballots, separating them into two piles—professional and non-professional employees.

The professionals voted 14-1 in favor of the union and the non-professionals, 17-2 for a union.

The staff vote shows their sympathy with and anger at the firing of part-time employee Sabina Trager June 23. She claims she was dismissed without “proper documentation” after she refused to sign a petition supporting WHB candidates Rob Rubio and Brian Tymann.

Library trustee Joan Levan made that suggestion but she denied the firing of Trager had anything to do with it, saying she had the documentation needed for the dismissal. “I don’t care who she voted for,” Levan told reporter Kyle Campbell of 27east.com.

Campbell’s Aug. 22 report on the library vote, saying “officials” had accused Trager of violating the library’s confidentially policy, described Trager as an “ardent supporter of the unionization effort.”

Staffer Susan Berdinka said Trager had “exemplary reviews” and should not have been fired without a “paper trail.”

“This leads to an environment of fear and that’s what we’re under,” Berdinka told Campbell. He will join the Daily News in Jersey City at the end of the month as a digital content producer for the auto section.

Staff Could Influence Policy

Berdinka told Campbell that the library board makes all the policy decisions, indicating that staffers might get involved in broad policy issues.

The WHB library and libraries in Southampton, Quogue and Hampton Bays need to broaden their horizons in order to live up to their promise of providing “lifelong education” for residents.

The American Library Assn. is urging libraries to host discussions on topics of interest to the community including controversial topics. It conducts the annual Gordon Conable Award which honors libraries with the best such programs.

The library in Smithville, Texas won the 2014 award for promoting “diverse points of view” and promoting “community dialog on controversial issues.”

Staffers endured “angry” patrons who made them “fear for their safety” when they hosted a program on the Muslim culture.

ALA’s “Muslim Journeys Bookshelf” included 25 books, four DVDs, and other materials on the “people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the U.S. and elsewhere.”

A $4,500 grant went to 125 libraries that accepted the materials.

WH Library Trustees Appointed, Not Elected

Trudy Rudnick, organizer for the New York State United Teachers, said the WHB library board was unusual because its five directors are appointed rather than elected. NYSUT has chapters in 50 libraries on Long Island. The lack of an elected board increases the need for employees to be represented by a union, she said. Westhampton library staff don’t have any voice in what happens at the library,” she told 27east.com.

Other library trustees are VP Karen Andrews; treasurer June Sellin; secretary Jennifer Mendelson, and Marth-Ann Betjemann. An email on 27east.com criticized the board for being all female and Caucasian. Emails of WH library trustees are not public although the emails of the five WHB trustees are.

Library Has $5.5M in Net Assets

Net assets of the library, according to the 2012 IRS Form 990 filed Dec. 5, 2013, the latest such filing available, which was signed by Moore, were $5,419,973 as of June 30, 2013.

Savings and temporary cash investments were $3,864,945 and cash, $75,507, for a total of $3,940,452. Total revenue was $4,036,885. Employer identification number for the 501/c/3 non-profit is 11-1672825.

Land, buildings and equipment were valued at $8,513,047 minus accumulated depreciation of $535,706. Library director Danielle Zubiller, now Danielle Waskiewicz, was paid $98,000.