Tom Murray Seeking Seat on Library Board

Tom Murray is seeking election to the library board of trustees for a five-year term. He is running against incumbent Sharon Lippman.

(Click here for information on Lippman.)

Murray, a student at Touro Law School, is a 24-year-old lifelong Sayville resident. He said he is running for the board so he can continue to live in Sayville.

“For those of us that are young and want to remain here, two of the biggest challenges are housing prices and property taxes,” said Murray. “We can't really do anything about housing prices, but we can try to deal with the property tax.”

Murray said although the 2 percent library budget increase this year is “small,” the increases don’t disappear.

“Sometimes, as in years past, the budget doesn't increase-- but the previous increases stay the same,” he said. “While the budget occasionally stays stable from one year to the year, it never gets smaller. The increase this year will be paid for every year going forward.”

As a frequent patron of the library, Murray said the library is a great resource for the community. He said he is running for the board to be more involved in the community. “I want to be more involved in the community and figured this was a great opportunity to do so,” he said.

Murray spoke about ways to save the taxpayers money. “I don't think the library needs e-Readers-- I think it's an unnecessary extravagance,” he said.

“As someone in my 20s who wants to buy a home and continue living here, every increase in property tax, however big or small, is multiplied over the span of decades, and cannot be ignored,” Murray said.

Challenger Tom Murray is running against incumbent Sharon Lippman for a five-year term on the Library Board. Voting is being held Tuesday, May 17 from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. at Sayville High School.