Bensenville library winners say voters want more services

Two candidates who criticized spending at the Bensenville Community Public Library say their victory last week over two incumbent trustees shows voters are paying attention.

Susan Diamond and Nancy Rizzo both won seats on the library board, defeating incumbents Linda Kochanski and Kristina McCauley.

“I think it means the voters are actually focusing a lot more on the value they are receiving from the library and there are some concerns,” Diamond said. “I think when they made the decision to close on Saturdays, they weren’t really aware of what it meant to the community.”

Facing a budget crunch like many taxing bodies, library trustees voted last year to close the library on Saturdays to cut costs. Both Rizzo and Diamond took them to task at several public meetings, questioning if spending for landscaping or art could be cut instead.

Rizzo said reopening on Saturdays is the top issue on her agenda.

“We need to review expenditures, even if we need to cut back hours on other days, recruit support staff or even volunteers, because Saturday is when most residents have time to use the library,” Rizzo said.

The pair also cried foul when the library’s newsletter featured articles on Kochanski and McCauley in two consecutive issues mailed during election season.

The newsletter ultimately will feature one trustee each month and did not mention the incumbents’ re-election efforts; but Diamond said the timing was suspicious and could be construed as taxpayer-funded electioneering.

Still, the two election winners say the library is also doing good in the community and they want to see more of that. Diamond and Rizzo both said they learned a lot going door-to-door during their campaigns, getting a better grasp of why some people don’t use the library and what attracts those who do.

“I’ve heard some things the library is doing very well, like senior programs,” said Diamond. “But we need to reach out to the Hispanic community more, for example.”

Rizzo adds that the change in library leadership echoes the change in village leadership that began when voters ousted longtime Village President John Geils two years ago and elected Frank Soto.

“The Bensenville residents are paying attention to their community and I think they want everything to just get better and better and better,” Rizzo said. “It started with the election of Soto and they are looking for that change to continue.”