Joseph A. J. Olsen: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Joseph A. J. Olsen

City: Bartlett, IL

Office Sought: Trustee - 6 year term, Bartlett Public Library District

Age: 71

Family: Married for 45 years to Sherry W. Olsen, one son, Andrew J. B. Olsen who is married to Jamie D. Olsen with one grandson, Benjamin J. D. Olsen

Occupation: retired CPA with a consulting practice in the health care industry

Education: B.A. Business Administration and Economics, Albion College

Civic involvement: Served on the School District U-46 Citizen's Advisory Council's Finance Committee for 3 years during which time we analyzed the need for and recommended to the Board of Education a bond issue to build new schools in U-46 to serve it's rapidly growing student population and an increase in operating milage to operate the schools. I was actively involved in giving presentations to community groups throughout the School District to gain voter support of both the referendums which were ultimately successfully passed. I was actively involved in gaining public awareness and support for the Bartlett Public Library District's last building bond issue referendum by giving public speeches on the need to interested community groups. This was ultimately successfully passed.

Previous elected office held: none

Incumbent? No

Website: none

Facebook: none related to campaign

Twitter: none related to campaign

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your library district and how do you intend to address them?

1. Accumulated deficit: insist that a formalized plan be put in place to eliminate this deficit. The current Board has failed to address this for the past 2 budgets in spite of the fact that it has been a problem leading in January 2019 to the Board being told that they could not seek matching funds for necessary repairs including life safety issues because of not being able to prove that they had matching funds available. As a member of the public in attendance routinely over the past 18 months, I have made comments on this and the Board has not acted.

2. Lack of review of financial statements at the Board meetings. Review of Financial Statements is on the Board's Consent Agenda and the consent agenda has been routinely approved without any discussion of the Financial Statements at either the Board Meetings or the Finance Committee. A Finance Committee was created after many months of my recommendations, but has only met once since it's creation and only to discuss with the auditor's the draft of the annual financial audit report. I would Move at Board meetings to remove the "review of Financial Statements" from the consent agenda so that a discussion of the Financial Statements could be held. I would further work to insure that the Finance Committee meet on a monthly basis to review financial statements and other financial matters.

3. Lack of transparency: a current Board member who is up for re-election was appointed to the Board just prior to the 2017 elections with press releases effectively guaranteeing his election. This was done without any public notice of the open Board position. He attended his first Board meeting as a member of the public and was at that meeting appointed with no indication in the Board minutes that he had even been interviewed. I learned from a FOIA request that he was not a library card holder and had to be asked to apply for one after being appointed to the Board. My subsequent public comments at Board meetings ultimately led to the Board adopting a formal policy on how Board trustee vacancies be filled. The Board President elected not to pursue an ethics violation brought to his attention by a member of the community. In this case a Board member up for re-election for a 6 year Term in 2017 stated in an email to potential voters that the Board endorsed another candidate who was running for a 2 year term as Trustee. There was no formal action on the part of the Board to support the statement that this candidate had been endorsed by the Board. I as a Board member would insist that cronyism be put to an end.

4. Community engagement continues to fall and is not being effectively addressed: The number of library card holders has fallen in the past 3 calendar years by 9.9% and currently is roughly at 30% of the community. No data is publicly available for prior to this. I made this observation at the beginning of the Board meeting in January 2019. At the January 2019 Board meeting the Board approved a marketing plan calling for a 2% increase annually in the number of card holders. If that is successful, then it will take 5 years to get back to where they were only 3 years ago. As a Board member, I would insist that we determine why library card holders are not renewing their cards by asking them directly how the library is failing to meet their needs.

5. Strategic Planning failure: the current strategic plan is a series of small short term not big picture activities. I would insist that the Board devote time to strategic planning on a regular basis and not just do a plan once every 3 to 5 years with no further thought or discussion of where the library need to headed to meet the needs of the community and engage the the community to insure it's long term survival.

Why are you running for office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what is it?

1. I believe that most of the current Board view their commitment as little more that a commitment to meet for 1 hour a month with no real obligation beyond that.

2. I was fortunate to be brought up as a reader and to value the experience and knowledge gained by that endeavor.

3. I am genuinely concerned for the future of the Library given the lack of true interest demonstrated by the majority of its Board members.

4. I have been actively attending Board and committee meetings over the past 18 months and making constructive recommendations in the public comments sections of those meetings for the purpose of improving the Library.

5. I have met with the Library Director to ask questions and make recommendations. I recommended that the Library switch auditing firms due to the fact that the auditors had been in place for a number of years and had not made any management letter comments. They did switch auditors and management letter comments were made.

If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of important initiatives you've led. If you are a non-incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.

1. Ensure that financial statements were reviewed at Board meeting with appropriate comments regarding progress towards goals, shortfalls or concerns about revenues and expenses.

2. I would come to the Board as an informed individual who understands what is happening having attended meetings over the past 18 months with the exception of any business which has been conducted in Executive session.

3. I have attended other inter-governmental meetings in which the Library is engaged.

4. I have attended Library Board meetings of 10+ other libraries in order to observe their workings and understand Best Practices.

5. I have joined ILA (Illinois Library Association) and attended their annual conference.

6. I am continuing my library education endeavors by having registered to attend the ILA Legislative luncheon and to attend the ILA Library Trustee Forum in March.

7. I will speak out at Library Board meetings and not stay silent as was suggested to me by the current Board President who felt that silence for the first 6 months would be in order. I have observed what is happening and the issues over the past 18 months.

Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?

1. I have been a library card holder at the Bartlett Public Library since the 1980s.

2. Since I started keeping track of my library card checkouts nearly 7 years ago, I have averaged over 100 items annually between hard copy books, electronic books and books on CD. I listen to books on CD when driving as opposed to the radio.

What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?

1. Libraries have been hurt economically by tax caps, declining property values and TIF districts which have resulted in many having declining revenues. Libraries unlike other governmental units have extremely limited alternatives to generate revenues other than property taxes.

2. Technology changes have introduced new means to distribute materials and information, do research, communication avenues and new learning needs for patrons. This has required libraries to change the materials in their collections and the programs offered to patrons.

How does a library remain relevant? 1. Library need to understand the needs of their community

2. Libraries need to respond to the changing demographics of their communities including age, race, language and cultural as well as economic.

How should its role in the community change? 1. Libraries must be in tune to what is available in the community.

2. Libraries should seek to fill hole is in what is available in the community while finding niches that are consistent with their mission and in keeping with their strategic plans.